Status Operational Units operational 2 × 550 MW2 × 575 MW | ||
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Commission date 1990 (block A)2000 (block B) Similar Dorad Power Station, Eshkol Power Station, Reading Power Station, Ashalim Power Station, Ashkelon Railway Station | ||
Israel thousands of jellyfish clog up cooling system of rutenberg power station
Rutenberg Power Station is a coal-powered power plant situated on the Mediterranean coast in Ashkelon, Israel.
Contents
History
Rutenberg power station, named for Pinhas Rutenberg, is owned and operated by the Israel Electric Corporation (IEC). Rutenberg is the newest thermal power station in Israel and the second largest in terms of generation capacity. It accounts for about fifteen percent of the IEC's total capacity. The power station is situated close to the sea since its cooling system uses sea water.
Construction began in the early 1980s, after completion of the first phase of the Orot Rabin power station near Hadera. Phase A became operational in 1990. Phase B was finished in 2000. Coal was supplied by train from the Port of Ashdod until an on-site deepwater coal pier was completed in 2000.
Phase D expansion was approved in 2008, however, construction has yet to begin due to several objections and the greatly increased availability of domestically-produced natural gas in Israel as an alternative to imported coal starting in the early 2010s. If built, Phase D would increase plant generation capacity by an additional 1,250 MW.
Overview
The power station has a total installed capacity of 2,250 MW. It is arranged in two blocks, each containing two power generating units. Two 550 MW boilers were supplied by Combustion Engineering (ABB) and two 575 MW boilers were supplied by Babcock & Wilcox. Turbines and generators were supplied by GEC-Alstom and ABB.
The power station consumes 18,240 tonnes of coal per day, and 330 tonnes of cooling water per hour.