Oklahoma Power Plant to be First North American Deployment of Mitsubishi's Advanced J-Class Turbine

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Written by John Egan for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The 495-megawatt (MW), natural gas combined-cycle (NGCC) generator under construction in Chouteau, Oklahoma, will feature North America's first deployment of the M501J gas turbine, which is manufactured by Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas (Lake Mary, Florida) and reportedly has achieved efficiencies of up to 61.5%. The Grand River Energy Center Unit 3, a $372 million project scheduled for completion by mid-2017, will help Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA) (Vinita, Oklahoma), a state-owned generation and transmission utility, achieve better fuel diversity and meet coming environmental regulations.

Unit 3 is scheduled to burn natural gas extracted in Oklahoma. Officials at the January 23 groundbreaking said Oklahoma has the nation's fifth-lowest electric prices, and Unit 3 would help GRDA keep prices low.

Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas was jointly established by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Limited (Tokyo, Japan) and Hitachi Limited (Tokyo).

Mitsubishi said its J-Class turbine is "built on the experience of its world-class F and G fleet." The company said the turbine "is the most efficient, environmentally friendly and powerful gas turbine in operation. The J-Class turbine integrates proven engineering with advanced new technologies, proprietary alloys that increase durability, innovative cooling of combustor components, advanced 3-D compressor and turbine blade design, and revolutionary thermal barrier coatings."

The J-Class turbine reportedly operates at a lower heat rate than previous technology, resulting in higher efficiency and about a 4% reduction in CO2 and NOx emissions, when compared with the previous generation's technology. The J-Class technology also can quickly ramp up and down to respond to sudden fluctuations in electric supply and demand.

Mitsubishi said the turbine "can run at minimum loads while maintaining 55% efficiency, allowing performance across a wide load range." The company said it has more than two dozen J-class turbines operating in Asia, but the power station under construction in Chouteau, Oklahoma, will be the turbine's first deployment in North America.

The unit will be GRDA's second gas-fired generator. About 1,010 MW of the agency's electricity is generated from coal at its Grand River Energy Center units 1 and 2. Another 165 MW comes from the Redbud Natural Gas Plant. And 473 MW is generated from hydroelectric facilities, including a pumped storage project. The agency also has some wind generation. GRDA provides electricity at wholesale to 75 of Oklahoma's 77 counties.

GRDA spokesman Justin Alberty told Industrial Info the Oklahoma agency was excited to serve as the first North American deployment of the M501J gas turbine. "We think the efficiency is going to be tremendous and will really benefit our customers, while adding more diversity to our portfolio," he said, adding the J-Class turbine is "super-efficient." Once Unit 3 is constructed, GRDA plans to retire its coal-fired Unit 1, a 490-MW unit.

Unit 3 is the first thermal plant the agency has built since the late 1970s, GRDA Chief Executive Officer Dan Sullivan said in a groundbreaking ceremony January 23.

All of GRDA's wholesale customers have signed supply contracts that last through 2042.

A unit of Kiewit Corporation (Omaha, Nebraska) is providing engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for Unit 3. Other major contractors and suppliers include Black & Veatch (Overland Park, Kansas), which is acting as the owner's engineer, and Hitachi HVB (Suwanee, Georgia), which is supplying electrical equipment.

"The high efficiencies reportedly achieved by the Mitsubishi J-Class turbine can really drive change in the Power Industry," said Brock Ramey, Industrial Info's North American power specialist. "With so many coal-fired units being retired, the high-efficiency and fast-ramping capabilities of the J-Class turbine can give generators greater operational flexibility, higher operating efficiencies and a cleaner environmental footprint."

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.