The 1.1GW Tavazzano and Montanaso power plant, located in the Lodi province of Italy, is being expanded with the construction of a new 800MW gas-fired combined-cycle unit.

EP Produzione, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Czech energy group Energetický a průmyslový holding (EPH), owns and operates the power station.

The plant currently produces electricity from two combined-cycle units commissioned in 2004 and 2005, respectively.

EP Produzione became the owner and operator of the power station by acquiring E.ON’s Italian coal and gas generation assets in 2015.

Project Gallery

Construction of the new combined-cycle unit at the existing site started in November 2021, with commissioning expected by November 2023. The new 800MW unit will replace a 320MW gas-fired unit that was commissioned in 1992 and has been mothballed since April 2013.

The expansion will increase the overall generating capacity and efficiency of the Tavazzano and Montanaso power plant.

Location and site details

The EP Produzione combined-cycle power plant is located on a 70ha-site in the municipalities of Montanaso Lombardo and Tavazzano con Villavesco, in the Lodi province of Italy.

The project site lies 25km away from the Milan city, close to the Muzza and Belgiardino Canals and the Adda River.

Details of the new unit at Tavazzano and Montanaso power plant

The new gas-fired combined-cycle unit at the Tavazzano and Montanaso power plant will be equipped with one GT36 H-Class gas turbine, two generators and one steam turbine from Ansaldo Energia. It will operate at an efficiency of more than 62% and improve the overall environmental performance of the power station.

Other components of the plant will include a closed-cycle cooling system, a 50m-high bypass chimney and a 90-high main chimney, continuous emission monitoring system (CEMS), and distributed control system (DCS).

Auxiliary infrastructure will include natural gas treatment and supply system, compressed air system, a wastewater treatment facility and a 500m3 demineralised storage tank.

The new plant is estimated to consume 45 cubic metres per hour (m3/h) of demineralised water.

Power evacuation

The electricity generated by the new combined-cycle power plant at Tavazzano and Montanaso will be evacuated into the grid through a 400kV cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) transmission line.

Contractors involved

Ansaldo Energia has been engaged as the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor for the new 800MW gas-fired combined-cycle unit at the Tavazzano and Montanaso power plant.

The contractual scope includes the manufacturing, supply and installation of key equipment including turbines and generators, as well as the plant construction and commissioning services. It also includes a multi-year service agreement for the turbines.

RINA Consulting was contracted to prepare the environmental impact assessment (EIA) study report of the project in 2019.

Details of the existing Tavazzano and Montanaso power plant

The first four oil-fired units of the power station were decommissioned and demolished in 2000.

Units five and six of the existing Tavazzano and Montanaso power plant were converted into two combined-cycle units of 760MW and 380MW capacity in 2004 and 2005, respectively.

The 760MW unit is equipped with two gas turbines, two heat recovery steam generators (HRSG) and one steam turbine, whereas the 380MW unit uses one gas turbine, one HRSG and one steam turbine.

Unit seven of the power station is out of service and no longer authorised to operate, whereas the gas-fired unit eight, which has been mothballed since 2013, will be replaced by the new 800MW combined-cycle power plant under construction at the site.