Greentech Lead America: GE will provide an advanced power
generation technology to replace an aging, less efficient power plant at
37-year-old Thomas C. Ferguson Power Plant, near Marble Falls, Texas.
GE
will supply two Frame 7FA Gas Turbine-Generators in a two-on-one combined-cycle
plant, along with installation and commissioning and technical assistance, to
Fluor Corporation, an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC)
contractor, for the Ferguson Replacement Project.
The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), a public
utility, will own and operate the new 540-megawatt facility, which is replacing
the 420-megawatt, at the site.
The plant is expected to begin commercial operations in
the summer of 2014. When completed, it will be the first combined-cycle plant
in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) region that meets the
latest Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Greenhouse Gas regulations.
The new combined-cycle power plant offers reduced fuel
use, emissions and water consumption than the gas-fired plant it is replacing.
The plant expected to provide a more efficient, cleaner source of electricity
for the community, and the project construction will make a significant
contribution to the area’s economy.
GE will manufacture the turbines in Greenville, S.C., the
generators in Schenectady, N.Y., and develop the control system in Salem, Va.
“It is an excellent match for LCRA’s requirements for a
project that will bring significant energy, environmental and economic benefits
to the region,” said Paul Browning, president and CEO, Thermal Products for GE
Energy.
GE claims that the 7FA technology will help customers cut
CO2 emissions by as much as 50 percent. The GE Frame 7FA Gas Turbine offers
expanded operational flexibility with fast start capability, high ramping rates
and extended emissions-compliant turndown, enabling power plant operators to
satisfy both their energy production and environmental goals.
Recently, GE announced
that its Jenbacher gas engines will drive landfill gas (LFG) power generation
project of Laogang Renewable Energy.