Technical assessment and environmental improvement of Almaty No. 1 heat and power station

Almaty No. 1 Heat and Power Station (BPS) supplies steam for industrial customers and heat and electricity to the residents of Almaty, the capital city of Kazakhstan. Feasibility studies performed by local technical institutes concluded that the aging boilers were soon reaching their end of life. Prior to approval of a loan to Kazakhstan for replacement of two of the boilers, the Asian Development Bank contracted the Tennessee Valley Authority to perform a technical and financial assessment of the power station to determine if continued operation was justified and to recommend a program of boiler equipment rehabilitation and/or replacement to reduce the high level of air pollution in the city. The assessment determined the city had a shortage of 480 Gcal/hr heating supply and a 125 MW deficit in electrical supply. Continued operation of Almaty No. 1 Heat and Power Station (UPS) was justified due to the strategic location of the heat and steam supply, high efficiency of the combined heating and power supply, and the low cost of the investment. The existing plant equipment had exceeded its original design life but the rehabilitation of the existing boilers is not a cost-effective option because of the very stringent emission requirements,more » low-cost and low-quality coal burning, and the derating requirements. Based on stringent air emission criteria, the most technically and economically viable solution is to replace the existing boiler Nos. 7 and 8 with a single circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boiler with limestone feed and a baghouse or electrostatic precipitator. The CFB boiler would allow Almatyenergo to burn the low-cost, low-quality coal and meet all the emission requirements.« less