GRES-2 Power Station
Encyclopedia
The GRES-2 Power Station (or Power Station Ekibastuz) is a coal-fueled power generating station
in Ekibastuz
, Kazakhstan
. GRES-2, built in 1987, has installed capacity of 1,000 MWe
and has the world's tallest flue gas stack
at 419.7 metres (1,377 ft) high. The chimney is about 38 metres (125 ft) taller than the Inco Superstack
in Sudbury, Canada. Locals refer to it as "the Cigarette Lighter". This chimney
is the tallest chimney ever built.
The power station is the start of the Powerline Ekibastuz–Kokshetau and uses a transmission voltage of 1,150 kV, the highest transmission voltage in the world. The extension of this line to Elektrostal in Russia is also designed for 1,150 kV, but it currently operates at only 400 kV. About 3/4 of the energy produced by GRES-2 is exported to Russia.
50% of GRES-2 shares are owned by Inter RAO UES
, and 50% by Kazakhstan's government
.
is to be provided by eight equal units, 500 MWe each.
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
in Ekibastuz
Ekibastuz
Ekibastuz is a town in Pavlodar Province, northeastern Kazakhstan. it had a population of 141,000. It is served by Ekibastuz Airport.-History:...
, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
. GRES-2, built in 1987, has installed capacity of 1,000 MWe
MWE
MWE may refer to:*Manufacturer's Weight Empty*McDermott Will & Emery*Midwest Express, an airline*Merowe Airport - IATA code*Multiword expressionMWe may refer to:*Megawatt electrical...
and has the world's tallest flue gas stack
Flue gas stack
A flue-gas stack is a type of chimney, a vertical pipe, channel or similar structure through which combustion product gases called flue gases are exhausted to the outside air. Flue gases are produced when coal, oil, natural gas, wood or any other fuel is combusted in an industrial furnace, a power...
at 419.7 metres (1,377 ft) high. The chimney is about 38 metres (125 ft) taller than the Inco Superstack
Inco Superstack
The mine at the Inco Superstack is the source for 100% of the nickel used to make the batteries for Toyota's Pruis.The Inco Superstack in Sudbury, Ontario, with a height of , is the tallest chimney in Canada and the Western hemisphere, and the second tallest freestanding chimney in the world after...
in Sudbury, Canada. Locals refer to it as "the Cigarette Lighter". This chimney
Chimney
A chimney is a structure for venting hot flue gases or smoke from a boiler, stove, furnace or fireplace to the outside atmosphere. Chimneys are typically vertical, or as near as possible to vertical, to ensure that the gases flow smoothly, drawing air into the combustion in what is known as the...
is the tallest chimney ever built.
The power station is the start of the Powerline Ekibastuz–Kokshetau and uses a transmission voltage of 1,150 kV, the highest transmission voltage in the world. The extension of this line to Elektrostal in Russia is also designed for 1,150 kV, but it currently operates at only 400 kV. About 3/4 of the energy produced by GRES-2 is exported to Russia.
50% of GRES-2 shares are owned by Inter RAO UES
Inter RAO UES
Inter RAO UES is a Russian energy company engaged in power generation and electricity trading. It has electricity export and import monopoly in Russia.- History :...
, and 50% by Kazakhstan's government
Government of Kazakhstan
The Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan oversees a presidential republic. The President of Kazakhstan, currently Nursultan Nazarbayev, is head of state and nominates the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government...
.
Individual units
The planned capacity of 4,000 MWeMWE
MWE may refer to:*Manufacturer's Weight Empty*McDermott Will & Emery*Midwest Express, an airline*Merowe Airport - IATA code*Multiword expressionMWe may refer to:*Megawatt electrical...
is to be provided by eight equal units, 500 MWe each.
- Unit 1 was launched into service in December, 1990.
- Unit 2 was launched into service in December, 1993.
- Construction of Unit 3 was started 1990 but later stopped.
2006 fire
On 30 May 2006, the chimney of the GRES-2 Power Station caught fire as flames and smoke could be seen pouring out of the top of the building. There were no reports of injuries and there was no word on the cause of the blaze. Firemen at the scene said all those inside the building had been evacuated.See also
- Ekibastuz GRES-1Ekibastuz GRES-1Ekibastuz GRES-1 is a 4,000 MW coal-fired thermal power station at Ekibastusz, Kazakhstan. It has two tall chimneys. As of June 2010, the Ekibastuz GRES-1 power station was the largest power station in Kazakhstan, and generated 13% of the nation's electricity.- History :Most of the units...
- List of chimneys
- List of towers
- List of tallest freestanding structures in the world
- Unfinished buildingUnfinished buildingAn unfinished building is a building where construction work was abandoned or on-hold at some stage or only exists as a design...