Millcreek Installs Second Turbine With 40MW Capacity

Published: 20-Aug-2009

By: Staff Writer Staff Writer Staff Writer

George's city managers intend to use a new natural gas generator to supplement the local power supply, in an effort to catch up the energy spikes due to air conditioning, and to reduce the dependency of coal, reported thespectrum.com.

Expected to come online in May 2010, the second turbine at the Millcreek Generation Facility that would cost around $50m, is expected to additionally generate 40MW, which is added to the city's system. It would decrease the reliance on power supplied from coal-fired power plants. It would also enhance the diversity of energy sources the system depends on, stated Phillip Solomon, director of the Energy Services department.

The new turbine, which crews delivered this week, would be used as a "peaking" power plant that only operates during the day times, especially during the peak summer season, when more power is required. The city average peak load during winter seasons is 100MW and 180MW during summer.

Solomon informed that with the carbon capping legislation in the near future, the city would be befitted from its less dependency on coal-fired power generation. Apart from carbon emissions at an average rate of 1,000 pounds per MW, the new generator would have "near zero" emissions of other compounds.

The Millcreek Generation Facility's second turbine, with a price tag of $50m, the construction costs were $2m less that the cost anticipated. This was due to the bidding of the the city and contractor, The Industrial Company (TIC), for individual segments of the construction instead of bidding for the entire project in a lump sum.

A third generator is also planned for the Millcreek site, which would also generate 40MW, that would take several years to commence the construction.

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