Electrical Issues Force California Pumped Storage Unit Out of Service

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--One of California's larger electrical production plants, the Helms Pumped Storage Power Station (Shaver Lake, California), had a unit that was forced out of service this week. The 404-megawatt (MW) Unit 2, which has a hydropowered turbine/generator setup, was said to have had electrical issues within its control panel that forced it out of service sometime Monday, although the unit is slated to be returned to service by this weekend if repairs go as planned.

The Helms facility, which is composed of three 404 MW units (rivaling many of the nation's largest lone coal- and nuclear-powered units in total output), can be put into action within minutes. By comparison, natural-gas-fired peaking units power up just as quickly, but they release many harmful pollutants into the atmosphere -- something one of the America's most polluted states surely doesn't need. Moreover, even though it is only used during periods of peak demand, having such a clean alternative to fossil-fuel units is an environmentally friendly way to produce immediate power on a grand scale.

In brief, a pumped storage facility acts like a large reserve battery, meaning it has enough potential energy to power hundreds of thousands of homes until the reservoir is emptied, offering up to a day's worth of energy at some of the larger pumped storage facilities in the country. It doesn't seem economically beneficial when first considered, but the water is actually pumped up to a high-altitude reservoir from a lower reservoir when electrical costs are low, such as at night, and then put into service when prices and/or demand are high enough to make a profit for the owner of the facility. The setup is similar to other dammed hydropower stations in that gravity speeds up the water's descent through sloped pipes that transfer water from the reservoir to the turbine, called penstocks, allowing the hundreds of thousands of gallons to have enough pressure and energy to drive the 400-plus MW generators.

The Helms Power Station is owned by Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) (NYSE:PCG) (San Francisco, California), and began commercial operation in late spring 1984. According to plant personnel, a controls upgrade might be in line in the near future, but that will have to be decided by upper management. Nonetheless, the money spent for an electrical control-system upgrade would ensure that during a long and hot summer, the units would be readily available for service, promising the reserve power needed by the state, and also being a guaranteed money-maker for PG&E.

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