A Bulgarian energy company is renovating the second largest thermal power plant in Kosovo
A repair project for the second largest power plant in Kosovo was won by the Bulgarian Central Energy Repair Base (CERB) EAD. The repair is at the "Kosovo A" thermal power plant and is according to the plant's modernization plan. The contractor is the energy company of Kosovo (KEK Kosovo – Kosovo Energy Corporation). The Bulgarian company repaired the turbine and boiler in unit A5 of the Kosovo Thermal Power Plant, which was put into operation as early as 1975.
CERB carries out the so-called non-destructive control of metal - inspection of rotors and diaphragms, examination of blades, metallography, endoscopic examination, residual resource of the turbine, etc. Vibrations before and after the repair of the turbine are also measured, low pressure rotor blade test, dynamic balance on a mobile stand of high, medium and low-pressure rotors, etc.
"This is not our first winning tender in Kosovo. In the last 2 years, we repaired several turbogenerators of 220 MW each there", commented Eng. Stoyan Stoyanov from CERB. "Bulgarian energy specialists are definitely valued outside of Bulgaria. Unfortunately, however, there is little desire in our country to maintain our own energy facilities. And that leads to accidents. We witness such cases almost every quarter," the company explains.
TPP "Kosovo A" is located about 8 km from the capital Pristina. It operates with lignite coal and has been owned by KEK Kosovo since 1999. Currently, only 2 of the total 5 units are operating in the plant. The annual production of electricity from TPP "Kosovo A" is about 1500 GWh. The country is highly dependent on fossil fuel electricity (92% by 2023).
CERB is the largest Bulgarian enterprise for diagnostics, repair and maintenance of electrical machines and equipment. It was created in 1948. In the last 20 years, he has implemented projects mainly outside Bulgaria - in Albania, North Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Serbia, Romania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, etc.