Production Devision
The Production Division is responsible for the generation of electricity and heat by the co-generation plants operated by Wien Energie Wienstrom as well as the production of heat from waste incineration and by peak load boilers at Wien Energie Fernwärme, the district heating division. Finally, there is also the production of so-called local heating by Wien Energie Energiecomfort.
Cold weather affected energy production during the course of the last business year, while prices on the electricity market increased due to rising crude oil prices.
electricity
Production facilities
Thermal power stations
Around 86% of the production of electricity on the part of Wien Energie takes place at the thermal power stations located at the Simmering, Donaustadt and Leopoldau sites. These facilities first produce heat which, in the form of steam (steam turbines), hot waste gas (e.g. gas turbines) or a combination of both (combined gas and steam turbine generating plant) then drive the turbines. Heat is produced in Wien Energie’s thermal power stations by burning almost exclusively natural gas in conjunction with combined heat and power technology.
Co-generation – dual functionality
Each of Wien Energie’s thermal power stations is fitted with combined heat and power technology, which has been the case for almost a quarter of a century. Wien Energie can benefit from its thermal power stations in two ways by producing electricity and making good use of the by-product waste heat by feeding it into the district heating network. This process is up to 86% efficient, reducing dependency on primary sources of energy and helping to protect the environment. Around 59% of the entire district heating production comes from co-generation power stations.
In total, Wien Energie’s future contributions to reducing CO2 emissions total 2.6 million tonnes annually thanks to its production of electricity and district heating in co-generation power and waste incineration plants.
- Donaustadt power station
Leopoldau and Donaustadt
The Leopoldau gas turbine power station went online in 1975 and underwent an extensive refitting in the autumn of 1988, during which it was converted into an environmentally friendly combined gas and steam turbine generating plant. This process involves using the hot waste gas generated by the gas turbine to produce steam which, in turn, is then used to drive the steam turbine. This has the advantage of considerably improving energy efficiency.
The Leopoldau power station is able to generate an output of over 140 megawatts of electricity and 170 megawatts of coupled district heating. This helps it in winter to produce the bulk of electricity needed, while in summer it serves to cover peak demand.
Operational since 2001, the Donaustadt power station is one of the most modern plants in Austria and, from an international standpoint, is one of the most efficient worldwide. Thanks to the latest power station technology, the plant is capable of achieving 58% efficiency in producing electricity with one of the largest gas turbine units in the world; this rate of efficiency increases to over 86% when co-generation technology is used. (By way of comparison, an average European power station achieves a rate of efficiency of between 40 and 43%.)
The Donaustadt power station is made up of two blocks, one with an electrical output of 395 megawatts and a thermal output of 250 megawatts, and another block which acts as a reserve unit.
Service functions
Download
