Covert Generating Set to Begin Commercial Startup of 1,170 Megawatt Power Plant

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). Covert Generating Company LLC (Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan), a subsidiary of Societe Generale in Paris, France, has completed construction and is performing startup testing for the $500 Million Covert Generating Station located in Covert, Van Buren County, Michigan. (Plant 1037954, PEC 18001097)

Construction for the project started August 2001 and was completed in late November 2003. The plant is expected to be in full commercial operation by February 2004. The project consists of three combined-cycle power islands, each with a 245-megawatt (Natural Gas fired) Mitsubishi Heavy Industries M501G Combustion Turbine Generator, a Deltak Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) equipped with Duct Burners and a 147-megawatt Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Condensing Steam Turbine Generator.

Covert, along with Athens Generating Station (Athens, New York), and Harquahala Generating Project (Tonopah, Arizona) were once owned by National Energy & Gas Transmission (formally PG&E National Energy Group) (Bethesda, Maryland). National Energy & Gas Transmission transferred ownership of Gen Holdings I LLC, to MACH Gen LLC, a transition company created by the lenders led by French bank Societe Generale (F.SGF) (Paris, France) to avoid default on loans used to built the plants.

The Shaw Group (NYSE: SGR) (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) and its subsidiary, Stone & Webster Incorporated provided the detailed engineering, and construction services on the project.

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