Project beginning

The origins of the idea to build a combined-cycle power plant on the premises of a decommissioned gas compressor station near the village of Malženice go back to the year 2000. Choosing this particular location for a new combined-cycle power plant was not an accident. There was a well-established natural gas infrastructure, which is very important for this type of power plant. In addition, the compressor station was located in the vicinity of Križovany electrical substation, which was fed by the nearby Jaslovské Bohunice nuclear power plant. Since the construction took place on the spot of the decommissioned compressor station, no further arable land had to be taken. The location proved to be destined to have one of the most advanced combined-cycle power plants in Europe.

Construction works

The construction of the Malženice power plant had begun in 2008 by demolition of the compressor station and relocation of the original natural gas pipeline. Already during the early stages of demolition and preparatory work, it has been E.ON’s priority to act responsibly towards the environment. Much of the material from the original structures was recycled and reused for the construction of the new power plant.

Construction works of the buildings began in November 2008. Twelve months since the beginning of the works, the power plant skeleton saw the addition of first new major components: gas turbine, steam turbine and generator. The last major component – transformer – was placed in the power plant in January 2010. Work had begun on erecting the pumping station to draw cooling water from the Dudváh river. Construction works had peaked by installation of 400 kV substation and electrical lines.

Testing

The summer of 2010 saw the beginning of testing and gradual introduction of the power plant systems into operation.

The power plant underwent pressure tests of the main and auxiliary boiler, voltage tests of the power lines, substation and the main transformer. The gas turbine was fired up for the first time in June 2010, with tests of the steam turbine being carried out the following month. In July 2010 the generator was connected to Slovak power grid, enabling the feed-in of power into the grid.
Test operations and trial run lasted until December 2010.

Commercial operation

The first commercially produced power from Malženice had begun to flow into the grid during the last days of 2010, so only 26 months since the beginning of construction.
Malženice power plant featuring an installed output power of 430 MW is annually producing about 3 billion kWh of electricity. With its production capacity, it is capable of covering the equivalent demand of an average annual consumption of about 600,000 to 900,000 households. Exceptionally high efficiency of more than 59 % is the proof that the fuel used for power production is utilised in an efficient and environmentally friendly way. Thanks to its flexible mode of operation, the new power plant makes a significant contribution to the stability of the national power grid.

Environment

Natural gas is an environmentally friendly energy source with relatively modest CO2 emission levels. Of fossil fuels, such as crude oil, lignite or coal, natural gas has the lowest emission levels. It is almost entirely sulphur-free, and it contains neither fluorine nor chlorine.

Energy security

In terms of energy security the Malženice power plant is a contribution by not only the sheer quantity of the power generated, but also in the stabilising effect it has on the Slovak power grid.
Installed power output of 430 MW is the highest among all combined-cycle installations currently operating in Slovakia. It enables the power plant to cover the equivalent of average annual consumption of 600,000 to 900,000 households; therefore it reduces Slovakia's dependence on electricity imports.
However, the operation of the Malženice power plant is also remarkable for high flexibility. The power plant is able to power up in less than 40 minutes and is capable of effectively varying its power output rating during operation within a 160 MW range. Therefore, it is capable of very flexible response to changing demand for power and thus stabilising the national power grid.