GE's Power Generation Services business has signed a multi-year services agreement with Southern California Edison to upgrade the utility's Mountainview Generating Facility, a 1054 MW combined cycle power plant in Redlands, California. Typical of a growing trend among North American CC power stations, the upgrade project is aimed at reducing the facility's startup times, and lowering its emissions without using additional water, thereby helping to balance the growing role of renewables on the grid.
"Our Mountainview station will be much more flexible, enabling it to more quickly respond to the needs of the California ISO system that is highly penetrated with solar power and other renewable sources," said Stuart R. Hemphill, senior vice president, Power Supply & Operational Services, Southern California Edison.
The technology upgrade will boost the station's output by about 48 MW, increase its efficiency and offer longer intervals between maintenance outages. By boosting Mountainview's flexibility, the project will help SCE protect the grid from the intermittency of the state's rapidly expanding renewable energy supplies while strengthening the facility's competitive position in California.
Renewable energy has grown so rapidly that it accounted for most new US electricity production added in 2014. California's share of electricity from renewables has more than doubled to 25 % today, up from 12 % in 2008. California also has signed contracts with its leading utilities to ensure that more than 33 % of the state's power comes from renewables by 2020. Governor Jerry Brown has also set a new state target of 50 % renewables by 2030.
Mountainview consists of four 7FA.03 units, two D-11 steam turbines and associated generators. GE will supply six advanced gas path (AGP) sets; six sets of its Dry Low NOx 2.6+ (DLN2.6+) combustion system with its OpFlex software package; and four new unit rotors.
The Mountainview upgrade project reflects a broader commitment by SCE and other California utilities to curtail their water consumption to help the state battle chronic drought conditions. The DLN2.6+ combustion system will enable SCE to further reduce the Mountainview plant's emissions without the need for using additional water in the process. GE's Remote Monitoring & Diagnostics Centre in Atlanta, which oversees the company's installed base of gas and steam turbines, will play a crucial role in enhancing the environmental compliance of the Mountainview Generating Facility's combustion technology.
GE is scheduled to begin installing its technology solutions at Mountainview in 2016 and complete the project by May 2017.
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