Kumertau CHP power station
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Kumertau CHP power station (Кумертауская ТЭЦ) is an operating power station of at least 120-megawatts (MW) in Kumertau, Bashkortostan, Russia.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Kumertau CHP power station | Kumertau, Bashkortostan, Russia | 52.772112, 55.820478 (exact) |
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 5, Unit 6: 52.772112, 55.820478
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | CHP | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 5, timepoint 1 | Retired | coal: waste coal, fossil gas: natural gas, bioenergy: agricultural waste (solids)[1] | 60 | subcritical | yes | 1965 | 2023 |
| Unit 5, timepoint 2 | Operating[2] | fossil gas: natural gas, fossil liquids: heavy fuel oil, coal: unknown[3][4] | 60[3] | steam turbine[3] | yes | 2024[3] | – |
| Unit 6, timepoint 1 | Retired | coal: waste coal, fossil gas: natural gas, bioenergy: agricultural waste (solids)[1] | 60 | subcritical | yes | 1970 | 2023 |
| Unit 6, timepoint 2 | Operating[3] | fossil gas: natural gas, fossil liquids: heavy fuel oil, coal: unknown[3][4] | 60[3] | steam turbine[3] | yes | 2024[3] | – |
CHP is an abbreviation for Combined Heat and Power. It is a technology that produces electricity and thermal energy at high efficiencies. Coal units track this information in the Captive Use section when known.
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 5, timepoint 1 | Kumertautskaya TeTS LLC [100%] | Kumertau Briquette Factory LLC [90.0%]; MUP Lokomotiv [10.0%] |
| Unit 5, timepoint 2 | Kumertautskaya TeTS LLC [100%] | Kumertau Briquette Factory LLC [90.0%]; MUP Lokomotiv [10.0%] |
| Unit 6, timepoint 1 | Kumertautskaya TeTS LLC [100%] | Kumertau Briquette Factory LLC [90.0%]; MUP Lokomotiv [10.0%] |
| Unit 6, timepoint 2 | Kumertautskaya TeTS LLC [100%] | Kumertau Briquette Factory LLC [90.0%]; MUP Lokomotiv [10.0%] |
Unit-level fuel conversion details:
Unit 5: Converted from coal to fossil gas in 2024.
Unit 6: Converted from coal to fossil gas in 2024.
Background
The power station began operations in 1954. It consists of 2 turbine units and 4 boiler units, connected through a cross-link system. Both operating turbines have capacity of 60 MW.
The power station is unique as it is capable of burning natural and waste gas, fuel oil, coal, production wastes of the briquette factory - "sludge" as process fuel, and a renewable fuel source such as granulated husk - sunflower processing waste from oil extraction plants.[5]
The plant produced 429 million kWh of electricity in 2021[6], 409 million kWh in 2022[7] and 386 million kWh in 2023.[8]
Fuel Mix
The main fuel used to be lignite coal from Bashkortostan. In an interview from February 2019, the company also stated that it used coal from Tulgansky coal mine that closed in 2018. As of 2019, 70% of fuel requirements were met by gas and 20% by coal including coal sludge from the sludge pits of Kumertau briquette factory.[9] In 2021 the company reported that 32% of the fuel requirements came from natural gas, 25% from associated gas, 38.2% from lignite coal and 4.7% from sunflower husk.[6] In 2022 the fuel balance changed in favour of gas with 67% of the fuel requirements covered by natural gas, 13.8% by associated gas, 19.2% by lignite coal and 0.2% from sunflower husk.[7] In 2023, coal contributed just over 7% to the fuel balance[8] and in 2024, coal share was 9%.[10]
Given consistent history of the plant using mostly gas for several years, it is considered mainly gas-fired, as of January 2024.
Ownership
The station is owned by Kumertautskaya TeTS LLC that used to be owned by Bashkir Generation Company, but was sold to Sverdlovsk Energogazovaya Company («Свердловская энергогазовая компания») for 84.7 million roubles in 2016.[11] However in 2020 the ownership changed and as of May 2023, 90% of the company belonged to Kumertau Briquette Factory and 10% to the municipal company Lokomotiv.[12] In May 2023, the 10% municipal share was sold to Stroy-Region,[12] however it was not clear whether this went ahead as later sources still referred to MP Lokomotiv as the 10% shareholder.[13]
Financial Challenges
The power plant was loss-making in 2021 and 2022 due to insufficient tariffs and accumulating debt levels.[14]
In December 2023, reports indicated financial challenges of the plant. These difficulties stemmed from the tariff established in 2020 and subsequent years, which failed to cover the expenses of heat production at the Kumeratau CHP power station. As a result, losses accrued, leading to the accumulation of debt owed to LLC Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Ufa LLC for the gas purchased. Repayment of the debt to Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Ufa LLC is regularly attempted through the revenue generated from energy sales. However, these funds are insufficient due to additional company expenditures.[15] As a result, Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Ufa LLC filed a bankruptcy case against the power station, as per media reports from December 2023.[16]
Additionally, the Kumeratau plant serves as the exclusive heat supply source for the city of Kumeratau in the Republic of Bashkortostan, providing thermal energy to Kumeratau Heat Networks LLC. Timely settlements between Kumeratau Heat Networks LLC and Kumertautskaya TeTS LLC have not been maintained, resulting in a debt of 109 million rubles as of December 1, 2023. Consequently, for three years, Kumertautskaya TeTS LLC has faced a challenging financial situation, unable to fully meet its obligations to the gas supplier.[15]
Potential Retirement
A media article from October 2022 referred to the planned closure of the plant, with a project to decentralize the heat supply and build several module boiler houses run on natural gas.[17] It appeared that the project was endorsed via a decree by the government of the Republic of Bashkortostan in May, 2022 and should have commenced in October 2022. A concession was planned to be awarded to build the boiler houses.[17]
However, the System Operator's documents published in 2023 did not list the planned retirement of the plant, with both 60 MW units expected to remain.[18][19] A media source from May 2023 further described changes to initial plan to retire the plant, stating that for now it will remain operational while the construction of the bloc-modular boiler houses may be undertaken as needed.[14]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20240125144949/https://disk.yandex.ru/i/JPArekTNvbqq5g. Archived from the original on 2024-01-25.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.so-ups.ru/fileadmin/files/company/future_plan/public_discussion/2024/final/44_Respublika_Bashkortostan.pdff.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20240112192433/https://www.so-ups.ru/fileadmin/files/company/future_plan/public_discussion/2024/final/44_Respublika_Bashkortostan.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-01-12.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20240112192330/https://ufa.bfm.ru/news/60238. Archived from the original on 2024-01-12.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "История Кумертауской ТЭЦ". kumtec.ru. Retrieved Jul 1, 2022.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Информация о деятельности ООО «Кумертауская ТЭЦ» в 2021 году". kumtec.ru. June 1, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Информация о деятельности ООО «Кумертауская ТЭЦ» в 2022 году". kumtec.ru. April 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Информация о деятельности ООО «Кумертауская ТЭЦ» в 2023 году". kumtec.ru/. May 2024.
{{cite web}}: line feed character in|title=at position 26 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Что в топке Кумертауской ТЭЦ?". kumertime.info. February 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Информация о деятельности ООО «Кумертауская ТЭЦ» в 2024 году". kumtec.ru. February 2025.
{{cite web}}: line feed character in|title=at position 26 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Как ТЭЦ в Кумертау сама у себя уголь покупает, News24, Nov. 6, 2016
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Муниципальную долю «Кумертауской ТЭЦ» выкупит казанская компания". https://ufa.rbc.ru/. May 2023.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - ↑ "Кумертауская ТЭЦ, ООО". sbis.ru. Retrieved December 2023.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|access-date=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Кумертауская ТЭЦ получит поддержку на всех уровнях, заверили Андрей Назаров и Динар Гильмутдинов". kumertime.info. May 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 15.0 15.1 "«Кумертауская ТЭЦ» прокомментировала ситуацию с отоплением и горячей водой в городе". ufa.bfm.ru. December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Замёрзнет ли самый южный город Башкирии?". kumertime.info. December 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Башкирия: На Кумертауской ТЭЦ грядут массовые увольнения". u7a.ru. October 5, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Перечень электростанций, действующих и планируемых к сооружению, расширению, модернизации и выводу из эксплуатации (page 35)" (PDF). www.so-ups.ru. February 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "СХЕМА И ПРОГРАММА РАЗВИТИЯ ЭЛЕКТРОЭНЕРГЕТИЧЕСКИХ СИСТЕМ РОССИИ НА 2024–2029 ГОДЫ ЭНЕРГОСИСТЕМА РЕСПУБЛИКИ БАШКОРТОСТАН (page 52)" (PDF). www.so-ups.ru. November 2023.
{{cite web}}: line feed character in|title=at position 27 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
Additional data
To access additional data, including interactive maps of the power stations, downloadable datasets, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker and the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
