In 2006, GHD was appointed by Colbun as their Owner’s Engineer
for the development of the first 350 MW unit of the 700 MW coal
fired Santa Maria Power Station at Coronel, 500 kilometres south of
Santiago. Unit 1 is expected to enter commercial service in
late 2010.
The first stage of the Santa Maria power plant involves a 350 MW
pulverized coal combustion plant with a seawater desulfurization
system, electrostatic particulate removal and low NOx burners.In
addition to the Owner’s Engineer base scope services, GHD has
completed a number of commissions for Colbun including:
- Assessment of coal use to compare the imported coal with local
sub-bituminous options
- Combustion calculations to estimate stack emissions
- Coal Forward Pricing Assessment to give a snapshot of coal
supply market pricing, and some guidance on pricing pressures in
the near to medium term
- Presentation of the sustainability of coal fired power plants
(using modern technology) to the Chilean environmental authority,
CONAMA
- SES Boiler Design Review covering the heat balance diagram,
boiler parameters and heat load, boiler efficiency, fuel firing
rate, combustion calculations, furnace sizing and convective zone
heat balances
- Coal Handling Plant design engineering with stack conveyor,
tripper and reclaim conveyor tunnel for the operation of the two
350 MW units.Guidance on concept design of ash containment
structures and advice on slope stability of saturated ash
stockpiles, and on prevention of groundwater leachate
- Cooling water system design review of three options: 1) Syphon
pipe mounted on the Coronel jetty, 2) Syphon pipe mounted on a
separate dedicated jetty or 3) Sub-sea pipe (buried HDPE); and
- Technical and economic bid review services for
the proposed 350 MW Unit 2 at Coronel.