Faribault Energy Park Combined-Cycle Addition Complete

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas). Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (MMPA) and its management company, Avant Energy, both based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, have completed construction of the combined-cycle unit addition (phase II) at the Faribault Energy Park LLC in Faribault, Minnesota. The addition, which will go commercial June 1, includes a CMI ETPI Aalborg Industries Pioneer GT8 heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) and a 100-MW GE steam driven turbine generator that will combine with the plant’s already completed General Electric MS7001FA 150-MW combustion turbine to complete the 250-MW Energy Center.

Avant Energy develops power plant projects on behalf of municipal power authorities and other non-profit clients. This includes the permitting, financing, construction and operations for the developed facilities. Unique in the industry, the company develops these projects on a client basis, rather than on their own.

The new steam turbine and HRSG addition were completed in sixteen months to be able to provide additional power generation for the summer peak load season and to help meet MMPA and Minnesota's future energy needs. According to projections by the Mid-Continent Area Power Pool, an association of electric utilities, the upper Midwest will need 2,000 MW in additional electricity production by the year 2010.

The Faribault Energy Park is located on a 35-acre site two miles north of Faribault and just east of I-35 in an area being zoned for industrial development. The facility will generate approximately two percent of the electricity produced within the state of Minnesota. Faribault Energy Park will also have an educational center for area children to learn about alternative forms or energy such as wind power, hydro and solar technologies.

The combined-cycle Faribault Energy Park will use natural gas, with fuel oil as a backup, to fire a combustion turbine generator and produce electricity. The excess heat from the turbine is collected to produce steam, which, in turn, is used in a steam turbine generator to produce additional electricity. This combined-cycle approach allows for the most efficient use of a fuel source and protects the environment by limiting emissions.

MMPA will own the $150 Million Faribault Energy Park LLC and is an association of eight of the state's municipal power organizations with a goal of providing reliable, reasonably priced energy to its customers.

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