Nov 25 2009
Wartsila has won a contract to supply a 170MW gas-fired power plant, which will be installed at Antelope Station, Texas.
The power plant will be located close to wind farms in order to stabilise the grid when the wind farms do not supply the expected output due to changes in the weather.
Wartsila signed the contract with Golden Spread Electric Cooperative (GSEC), a public utility owned by consumers. The public utility consists of 16 member distribution cooperatives, which served 208,000 retail consumers.
According to Frank Donnelly, President, Wartsila North America, this contract will enable the generation of reliable high-grid power and also provide power to GSEC members. The power plant will incorporate electrical, mechanical and control auxiliaries, exhaust controls and switch gears along with 18 Wartsila 20V 34SG generating sets. In addition, Wartsila will provide both installation and commissioning support along with training.
The power plant is expected to start functioning early in the year 2011, and is estimated to generate 170MW that can meet the requirements of 55,000 homes.
Wartsila technology was selected because of the ability of the engines to start quickly. Traditional gas-fired engines typically take one to four hours to achieve full operational power. However, Wartsila engines are able to achieve full operation in less than ten minutes.
According to Mark W. Schwirtz, President and General Manager of the generation cooperative, the availability of wind and the level of electricity demand during summer are the key factors in selecting the quick-start generation technology.
The output from wind farms is based on the wind speed. If there is a reduction in the output from wind farms, it must be compensated immediately by matching equipment that will increase the output. The new Quick-start generation engines are fuel efficient and they do not need water. By adding 18 individual units, the unit can be made free from failures.