Belgium will soon have a new gas-fired power plant, as construction continues apace in Awirs, just outside Liège.
Engie project manager Raf Anné announced last Friday that operations should begin in November 2025 after the former Awirs thermal power station was decommissioned in late December 2023.
A new turbine-gas-steam (TGV) power plant is now being built on the same Meuse riverfront site. The facility will have a capacity of 875 MW, with its yearly production estimated to be between 4.4 and 5.3 TWh. This volume could power more than one million homes yearly.
With an investment of €500 million, the project will employ an average of 500 people. A team of 35 people, currently undergoing training, will take over as the plant’s operations and maintenance staff once it’s operational. “The recovery boiler is almost finished and we are currently putting up the chimney,” explained Engie deputy project manager Rudi Cordenos.
Boasting some of the best performance records, this TGV plant is being touted as one of the largest in the world. It’s projected to have an efficiency rate of over 63% – 5 to 10% higher than existing plants. This could cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 20%,” explained Raf Anné.
The test run of the gas turbine is scheduled for the first half of 2025. The plant is set to be operational by 1st November 2025.
