EVN seeks to partner with Turkey's Karpowership on floating power plants

Vietnam Electricity (EVN) and Turkey’s Karpowership, which built the world's first floating power plants, last week discussed opportunities for collaboration on floating power plant technologies.

EVN General Director Tran Dinh Nhan said that Karpowership's floating power generation is a novel approach. "EVN will conduct research and communicate with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and other state agencies on the new power solution."

"This is a possible alternative in the next years, when Vietnam's electrical grid may suffer a local supply shortfall, particularly during the hot season in the northern region," he added.

Karpowership, a Karadeniz Energy Group member, is the owner, operator, and builder of the first Powership, or floating power plant, in the world. Its vessels are dual-fuel powered using either heavy fuel oil or liquefied natural gas (LNG), which includes recuperators to generate electricity using a steam cycle.

A Powership has a capacity of 30-760 megawatts and can connect to the Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU) system to deliver LNG-powered electricity. The Turkish firm stated that building such a vessel takes 90-120 days from the moment the contract is signed.

In Southeast Asia, Karpowership has partnered with Indonesia to implement five 1,000 MW floating LNG-to-power projects, requiring no on-land construction.

Karpowership started its energy investments in 1996, and was the first private electricity exporter in Turkey. The group owns and operates more than 4,350 MW installed capacity globally.

The company currently provides around 4,100 MW of power from its fleet of ships, mainly in eight African nations but also in Cuba, across the Middle East and Asia. An additional 4,400 MW of Powerships are either under construction or in the pipeline.

Previously, Wartsila, a global leader in innovative technologies and lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets, also shared with Vietnamese counterparts its experiences with power plants powered by internal combustion engines (ICE).

ICE plants have great flexibility since they can connect to the grid in less than 30 seconds and reach maximum load in less than two minutes, helping to balance renewable energy sources and maintain stability and reliability, as well as optimize the power system.

Such plants are modular and can be erected in 12 months, supplying electricity to meet people's demands rapidly. Wartsila has supplied 72 GW ICE power plants in 180 countries and territories worldwide.