France: GDF SUEZ Opens Gas Power Plant at Montoir-de-Bretagne

Today, Gérard Mestrallet, Chairman and CEO of GDF SUEZ, and Jean-François Cirelli, Vice Chairman and President of GDF SUEZ, inaugurated a new 435 MW combined-cycle gas power plant at Montoir-de-Bretagne (Loire-Atlantique).

This SPEM power plant, the first facility of its kind located in western France, will provide a supplement of electricity production vital to the security of energy supply in the Pays-de-la-Loire and Brittany regions.

For an investment of close to €300 million, the Montoir-de-Bretagne plant will generate 2.2 TWh of electricity per year, the equivalent in annual electricity consumption of nearly 450,000 households, making a substantial contribution to the regional electricity grid’s supply security and demand-supply balance.

The plant, located near the Montoir-de-Bretagne LNG terminal, uses a highly efficient combined-cycle natural gas process combining gas and steam turbines. Its high energy efficiency rating, close to 58%, contributes to reducing greenhouse gases.

Plant construction lasted for over two years and employed an average of 400 workers at the site. During its operating phase, the plant will employ 27 persons.

In France, GDF SUEZ has total electrical production capacity of over 8,000 MW, 2,147 MW of which is derived from natural gas. GDF SUEZ is also the country’s nº 1 operator of combined-cycle gas turbines and has a full range of expertise in this field, from engineering design to operations. In addition to the 435 MW Montoir-de-Bretagne plant, the Group also operates the DK6 power station at Dunkerque (788 MW) as well as the Combigolfe (435 MW) and Cycofos (489 MW) power plants at Fos-sur-Mer. In 18 months, with the commissioning of three plants, the Group has invested over €1 billion in thermal power production. Morevover the Group operates more than 1,550 MW of cogeneration in France.

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Source: GDF Suez, April 8, 2011;