KENNETT SQUARE, Pa.,
Sept. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Exelon
Generation announced today that it is planning to build two
combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) units in Texas utilizing a new General Electric
technology that will make them among the cleanest, most efficient
CCGTs in the state and the nation. The new units are being
built on existing Exelon sites: one at Colorado Bend
Generating Station, currently a 498 MW natural gas plant in
Wharton County, TX; and the other
at the 704 MW Wolf Hollow natural gas plant in Granbury, TX. Each new unit will add
approximately 1,000 MW of capacity to their respective sites.
Alstom Power will provide the Heat Recovery Steam Generators
(HRSGs) to produce the steam necessary to maximize generating
capacity and efficiency at each unit. Additionally, being
mindful of increased water efficiency in drought-prone Texas, the new units will be cooled with air
instead of water.
"Exelon is a forward-looking company, and what we see is a clean
energy future that includes this kind of new technology, which uses
little water and produces few emissions while generating
electricity at a very low cost," said Ken
Cornew, president and CEO, Exelon Generation. "We're
delighted to be the first to employ this GE technology, and we're
delighted to do it in Texas. This
is how Exelon sees the energy future of America – clean, affordable
and efficient."
Victor Abate, president and CEO,
power generation products at GE Power and Water, said, "These
combined cycle plants will use our air-cooled 7HA.02 gas turbines,
which provide the most output, highest efficiency and best
operational flexibility for 60 Hz applications. They are designed
to start fast, ramp up more quickly and turndown more efficiently
than any other H-class turbine on the market today. This translates
into enabling Exelon to deliver power quickly when it is needed and
to ramp down when it is not."
A simplified design approach provides for easier construction
and maintenance, making these units among the most predictable and
least costly to operate and maintain in the industry. The HA
turbines apply advanced materials from GE aircraft engines,
incorporating single-crystal alloys and thermal barrier coatings to
deliver longer parts life for lower lifecycle costs. This enables
the turbines to operate at higher temperatures (over 2600 degrees
F), increasing efficiency and further reducing ongoing maintenance
costs. GE has more than 100 million hours of single-crystal
experience, and has been testing and developing thermal barrier
coatings and ceramic matrix composites for 15 years.
John B. Zachry, CEO &
Chairman of Zachry Holdings, Inc., stated "We are pleased to be
working with Exelon to help meet the expanding electric energy
needs in our home state by deploying efficient, advanced-class,
combined cycle generating technology. More than 1,000 of our
highly-skilled engineering, procurement and construction employees
will work on these two very important projects."
Construction of the units is expected to begin in 2015 with
commercial operation targeted for 2017. These projects will bring
approximately 1,000 engineering and construction-related jobs and
17 permanent operations jobs to the communities surrounding these
sites.
Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC) is the nation's leading
competitive energy provider, with 2013 revenues of approximately
$24.9 billion. Headquartered in
Chicago, Exelon does business in
48 states, the District of
Columbia and Canada. Exelon
is one of the largest competitive U.S. power generators, with
approximately 35,000 megawatts of owned capacity comprising one of
the nation's cleanest and lowest-cost power generation fleets. The
company's Constellation business unit provides energy products and
services to approximately 100,000 business and public sector
customers and more than 1 million residential customers. Exelon's
utilities deliver electricity and natural gas to more than 7.8
million customers in central Maryland (BGE), northern Illinois (ComEd) and southeastern Pennsylvania (PECO).
Follow Exelon on Twitter @Exelon.
Zachry Holdings, Inc. has 90 years of experience delivering
engineering, construction, maintenance, turnaround/outage and
fabrication services to energy and industrial customers. Zachry
develops long-term, high-trust, multi-project relationships with
its customers and participates in a wide range of industry sectors
including traditional and renewable power, petrochemical, refining,
forest products and nuclear. The company operates 35 offices, and
their 20,000 employees work in more than 400 locations nationwide.
Visit www.zhi.com for more information.
GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and
the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding
solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance.
Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just
imagining. Doing. GE works.
SOURCE Exelon Corporation