Gas-Fired Power News

GE Power & Water's Distributed Power business signed a contract to provide Sky Global Partners (Sky Global) with its Jenbacher gas engine technology along with a 30-year contractual service agreement for a new 50-MW high-efficiency power plant in Colorado County, Texas, near San Bernard's Rock Island substation. This represents the largest North American power project for GE's Jenbacher J920 FleXtra gas engine so far.

Bechtel completed the Panda Temple I Generating Station in Temple, Texas ahead of schedule. The 758-MW natural gas-fueled, combined-cycle power facility is owned by Panda Power Funds. As part of a consortium with Siemens, Bechtel provided project management, engineering, procurement, construction, and startup services, while Siemens provided the power-island package, including the natural gas and steam turbines, generators, and waste-heat-recovery boilers.

The Kentucky Public Service Commission (KPSC) approved Kentucky Power's plan to convert the Big Sandy Unit 1 from coal-fired electricity generation to gas-fired electricity generation. Kentucky Power is converting the 278-MW unit in order to meet stricter federal air quality standards. Following the conversion to natural gas, the unit will be rated at approximately 268 MW. The conversion project is expected to cost approximately $50 million and should be completed by the summer of 2016.

Duke Energy Carolinas plans to build and operate a 750-MW natural gas-fired combined cycle plant at the existing Lee Steam Station site in Anderson County, S.C. The North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation will own 100 MW of the project. The decision to move forward with this project is part of a long-term plan to add new generation, modernize the fleet, maintain a diverse fuel portfolio, and manage customer costs while delivering a high-quality, reliable power supply.

Indianapolis Power & Light (IPL), received approval from the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) for its request for a certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN), allowing IPL to invest approximately $600 million into a new 650 MW combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power station near Martinsville, Indiana and $36 million to convert two units at the Harding Street Generation Station totaling 200 MW from coal to natural gas. The CCGT project will commence construction in third quarter 2014 and is expected to come online in 2017.

Calpine completed the acquisition of a natural gas-fired, combined-cycle power plant located in Guadalupe County, 30 miles northeast of San Antonio, Texas, in ERCOT's south zone. Calpine purchased the plant, which has a generating capacity of 1,050 MW, from MinnTex Power Holdings (a portfolio company owned by a private investment fund managed by Wayzata Investment Partners) for $625 million plus adjustments.

NTE Energy plans to develop, own and operate the Kings Mountain Energy Center, located in Cleveland County, NC. The new energy center will utilize a M501GAC advanced combustion turbine and a Mitsubishi steam turbine in combined cycle configuration. The power generation equipment will be supplied by Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas (MHPSA). NTE Energy has begun the permitting process and submitted its transmission interconnection request to Duke Energy Carolinas. The project is planned to begin construction in 2015 and become fully operational in 2018. 

Siemens received an order for the turnkey construction of the Bandirma II combined-cycle (gas and steam) power plant (CCPP) in Turkey. The purchaser is Enerjisa, a joint venture of Sabanci Holding and E.ON. Upon completion in the spring of 2016, this plant will have an installed capacity of around 600 MW and an efficiency of over 60 percent.

Siemens Energy received an order from Panda Power Funds to supply two power plant units fitted with H-class gas turbines for the Patriot combined-cycle power plant (CCPP) in Clinton Township, Pennsylvania.

Wood Group GTS was awarded a six-year contract to provide maintenance services for a GE Frame 7EA gas turbine at a manufacturing facility in Texas. Wood Group GTS' contract features all major maintenance services, including parts, repairs, field services, and the installation of monitoring and diagnostics technology to provide predictive performance management of the gas turbine. The customer's accelerated process required that a solution be in place prior to the next scheduled combustion inspection in spring 2014.