Termocentro power plant is located in the mid valley of the Magdalena River, in the rural district of Puerto Olaya, Municipality of Cimitarra (Santander), at 5 km. from Puerto Berrio (Antioquia). It has an installed capacity of 300 MW, in a two by one combined cycle configuration. Two gas turbine generators of 100 MW each, and one steam turbine of 100 MW. It began operations in a Single Cycle configuration on February of 1997.

The conversion to Combined Cycle allows the use, through a steam cycle, of hot exhausted gases during the combustion process of the gas turbines, thus increasing the plant's efficiency by 50%, because it does not require additional fuel for generating 100 MW. This conversion started commercial operation on November 30, 2000.

Location

The region

Because of its location, Termocentro has a strategic value within the National Interconnected System. Its location offers, among others, the following advantages:

Main Equipment

• The Centro Oriente (Center-East) Gas Pipeline supplies turbines as main fuel (50 MPCD). Jet A1 is used as emergency fuel from a 25.000 barrel storage tank with a two and half operating day's autonomy.
• The steam turbo group of 100 MW is a condensation type turbo (354,72 t/h, 87,8 kg/cm2, 5I0 °C), of two pressures no reheat, coupled to a surface condenser with vacuum pressure of 83,8 mm Hg. The power generator has 130 MVA, 13,8 kV and 0.0 power factor.
• The plant has two natural circulation type recovery steam generator, two pressures (91,5/12,7 bar) and they are provided with a by pass chimney, and a diverter damper for allowing independent operation of the Single and Combined Cycle configuration.
• The plant's cooling system is closed type, including a wet cooling tower assisted by ventilators, with a flow of 17,466 m3/h and temperature elevation of 9.8 with loss reposition by means of a water extraction system of deep wells, with production capacity of 200 I/s.

The plant has the following balance of plant systems for reliable and safe operation:

Connection to the National Transmission System, SNT (due to its initials in Spanish)

Connection to the National Transmission System is accomplished by means of a 230 kV line with 8 km. of length, interconnecting the substations Termocentro owned by ISAGEN and Primavera owned by ISA.

Clean technology

It is important to highlight that energy production with Combined Cycle system is known as Clean Technology because:

• It uses natural gas which is the cleanest fuel.
• It increases energetic efficiency of the plant and saves fuel, thanks to the utilization of high temperature gases for generating additional electricity in the steam cycle.
• It decreases temperature of escape gases to the atmosphere (dry low NOx burners).
• It makes efficient use of water using a cooling closed circuit with cooling tower avoiding direct discharge of hot water into the Magdalena River.