Climate Readiness for New Combined Cycle Power Station

Summary

Rising air and water temperatures may present high risks for nuclear power plants cooling systems, leading to power blackouts and decreasing efficiency. Electricity Vietnam (EVN) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) produced an assessment of climate change risks for the O Mon IV combined cycle power stations. The investigation showed that the power plant might experience a loss in power output as a result of projected increases in air and water temperature over the period 2015–2040. The components most vulnerable to reduced performance are the gas and steam turbines, the air compressors, and the circulating water pumps. However, other components are expected to have a negligible vulnerability to climate change. The case study concludes that retrofitting equipment such as the cooling towers will be necessary to avoid further impacts. Hence, even though the retrofitting equipment might be installed later, it is advisable to assure enough space during the power plant design and conception phase.

Key take-away

Even though adaptation measures to climate change impacts may not be justified at a given moment, a cost-effective course of action may be necessary to ensure that the investment is ready for adaptation in the future

Further resources

Adaptation to Climate Change: The Case of a Combined Cycle Power Plant