Mitsubishi starts 2nd gas turbine at Thai power plant

Japan’s Mitsubishi Power has started operation of a second M701JAC gas turbine unit for natural gas-fired power plants in Thailand, its parent company Mitsubishi Heavy Industries said on October 11.

Inaugurated on October 1, this is the second of eight units ordered on a full-turnkey basis as part of a joint venture between Gulf Energy Development Public Co, a Thai independent power producer, and Japan’s Mitsui & Co. The first unit, which was also the first M701JAC in southeast Asia, started commercial operation in March.

When completed, the eight units in the project will form a combined cycle gas turbine power system with a total output of 5.3 GW. The construction of the remaining six units has started and the final unit will start commercial operations in 2024, Mitsubishi Heavy said.

The power system is made up of two ultra-large-scale power plants that are under construction in Chonburi and Rayong provinces, approximately 130 km southeast of Bangkok. Each plant will have an output of 2.65 GW and use natural gas as its primary fuel source, along with four power trains each incorporating a gas turbine, steam turbine, heat recovery steam generator and generator.

Mitsubishi Power will manufacture and supply the gas and steam turbines as well as ancillary equipment, while Mitsubishi Electric Corp will provide the generators. The power generated will be sold to the state utility Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand.