Sulcis power station
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Sulcis power station is an operating power station of at least 590-megawatts (MW) in Nuraxi Figus, Gonnessa, Sulcis-Iglesiente, Carbonia-Iglesias, Italy with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Sulcis power station | Nuraxi Figus, Gonnessa, Sulcis-Iglesiente, Carbonia-Iglesias, Italy | 39.197631, 8.401494 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3: 39.197631, 8.401494
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | cancelled | coal: subbituminous | 350 | IGCC | – | – |
| Unit 2 | operating | coal: bituminous, bioenergy: unknown | 350 | subcritical | 2005 | 2027 (planned)[1] |
| Unit 3 | operating | coal: bituminous | 240 | subcritical | 1986 | 2027 (planned)[1] |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | ENEA SA [100%] | ENEA SA [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | Enel SpA [100%] | Enel SpA [100.0%] |
| Unit 3 | Enel SpA [100%][2] | Enel SpA [100.0%] |
Background
The Sulcis power plant originally began operating in 1965 with two 240 MW units. Another 240 MW unit was added in 1986, while the first two were converted/replaced by a 350 MW circulating fluidized bed boiler unit in 2005. The power plant is operated by Enel, Italy's largest power generator, and supplies power to an adjacent Alcoa plant.[3] The 350 MW unit also co-fires with biomass.[4]
The plant is equipped with both desulfurization and denitrification units. The South African coal that the plant uses contains 6-8% sulfur content, which produces higher amounts of fly ash and wastewater.[3] Since Italian and EU environmental regulations were strengthened, wastewater from the plant's desulfurization unit cannot be discharged into the sea. To resolve this, ENEL has decided to install a Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) unit, which eliminates wastewater discharge.[5]
World Coal reported that the plant had exceeded both the revised regional nitrous oxide (by 68%) and sulfur oxide (by 83%) limits in 2014.[6] According to Beyond Coal, the Sulcis power plant produced an estimated 1.1 million tonnes of CO2 in 2017.[7]
No Closure Yet
In late 2020, Enel announced it would be shutting down three of its coal plants in an effort to meet the country's energy transition. However, the Sulcis plant was not included because it had previously been deemed as 'essential' for grid security by Italian power grid operator Terna.[8]
In June 2023, Italy's Environment and Energy Security Minister reportedly stated that the country's coal plants could close by 2024, a year earlier than previously planned, if gas prices remained low.[9]
In November 2023, Enel stated that all of their coal plants in Italy would be decommissioned by 2025, with Sulcis power station listed as an exception. Sulcis was allegedly "essential for technical reasons" (Google translate). The company-wide phase-out date was 2027.[10]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20240218235933/https://www.civonline.it/altro/energia-e-ambiente/enel-conferma-tvn-chiusa-entro-il-2025-x2ra1vo8. Archived from the original on 18 February 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20240420055024/https://va.mite.gov.it/it-IT/Oggetti/Info/1870. Archived from the original on 20 April 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 "ENEL Sulcis (Grazia Deledda) Coal Power Plant Italy - GEO". Global Energy Observatory. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Mohammad S. Roni, Sudipta Chowdhury, Saleh Mamun, Mohammad Marufuzzaman, Samuel Johnson, William Lein, Biomass Co-Firing Technology with Policies, Challenges, and Opportunities: A Global Review, Idaho National Laboratory, October 2017.
- ↑ "ENEL Power, Italy – Sulcis Project – ZLD Plant for FGD Wastewater Treatment | Aquatech". AquaTech. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Enel announces coal plants closures". World Coal. 2017-05-22. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
- ↑ Europe Beyond Coal (December 2018). "Enel/Endesa" (PDF). Beyond Coal. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Baratti, Gianluca (September 9, 2020). "Enel lines up three Italian coal closures for early 2021". SP Global. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Italy could abandon coal by 2024, environment minister says," Reuters, June 5, 2023
- ↑ "Enel conferma: Tvn chiusa entro il 2025," Civonline.it, November 22, 2023
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
