Kineticor Resource is developing the 900MW Cascade combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant with a total investment of approximately C$1.5bn ($1.12bn).
Kineticor’s partners in the project include OPTrust, Indigenous Communities Syndicate, Axium Infrastructure, DIF Capital Partners, and Macquarie Capital.
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Located in Alberta, Western Canada, the power plant project will provide power for approximately 900,000 houses and businesses in Alberta.
Construction on the project commenced in August 2020 and is expected to be completed in February 2024.
The facility will be equipped with natural gas and steam turbines and produce 50% more electricity compared with a conventional simple-cycle power plant. It is expected to produce 62% less carbon dioxide equivalent per MWh compared to current coal-powered electricity generation facilities.
The power plant secured gas supply agreements with Peyto Exploration and Development and Mitsubishi’s subsidiary Cutbank Dawson Gas Resources.
The project is employing more than 1,000 people for the construction works.
Cascade CCGT location
The power plant is being built on Crown lands on a 52ha site, located west of Section 28, Township 52, Range 18, to the west of the Fifth Meridian.
The site is located near existing transmission lines and substations approximately 12km south-west of Edson in Yellowhead County.
The power generation facility will be directly connected to other gas processing facilities in the same area, reducing the cost associated with gas transportation.
Cascade combined-cycle gas turbine power plant development
The Cascade Power Project completed environmental studies and assessments, as well as engagement with public and indigenous communities in 2018.
Kineticor submitted regulatory applications to the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) and Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) in the fourth quarter of 2018.
The company obtained all major approvals for the project from the AUC and AEP in February 2020.
Cascade power plant details and construction
The project involves the installation of four primary components during each construction phase. The components include a gas turbine, a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG), a steam turbine, and a generator in the one-on-one configuration.
It includes two Siemens SCC6-8000H power trains that will deliver a combined output of 900MW. Each power train consists of an air-cooled condenser and a generator step-up transformer. The make-up water used for the steam cycle will be procured from Edson.
The configuration uses a common rotating shaft between the gas and steam turbines to produce power. The power plant will employ both gas and steam power generation technologies.
Cascade will combust natural gas in a gas turbine and generate electric power using a coupled generator. Waste energy from the exhaust of the HRSG will be then used to produce steam that will drive the steam turbine generator to produce additional power.
The power plant requires up to 150,000GJ of natural gas a day as fuel.
A new high-pressure gas supply line connecting local gas producers to the Cascade power plant will be used to supply natural gas to the project. Gas will also be supplied via a 7km-long tie-line that will act as a backup. To be constructed and owned by the project developer, the line measures 12in-16in in diameter.
Other components in the project include generator step-up transformers, fuel gas treatment equipment, power distribution modules, and a demineralised water treatment facility with storage tanks.
The electricity generated from the power plant will be fed to the Alberta power grid to cater to the electricity demand in the province.
Cascade power plant transmission details
Cascade Power applied to the Alberta Electric System Operator for the approval of transmission system access for the project. The proposal includes the construction of three new 240kV transmission lines of 1km each to connect AltaLink’s existing Bickerdike substation to the Whisky Jack substation within the project site.
Two of the new transmission lines, 1135L and 1084L, will be connected to the Bickerdike substation in the north side. The third new transmission line 1168L is proposed to be connected to the south of the Bickerdike substation. The existing 973L and 974L transmission lines are planned to be relocated to meet 1168L in the south side.
The existing double circuit transmission line 973L/974L that currently connects to the north of the Bickerdike substation is planned to be relocated and converted into two separate single transmission lines.
The proposal also includes the addition of four new circuit breakers to the Bickerdike 39S substation.
Funding
Kineticor secured non-recourse project financing for the project in August 2020.
The Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation, a provincial Crown corporation, provided a loan guarantee of C$93m to the Indigenous Communities Syndicate in exchange for becoming equity partners in the Cascade Power Project.
Indigenous Communities Syndicate is a consortium of six Alberta First Nations including Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, Enoch Cree Nation, Kehewin Cree Nation, O’Chiese First Nation, Paul First Nation, and Whitefish Lake First Nation.
Contractors involved
BPC, a joint venture between PCL Construction and Overland Contracting Canada, was awarded the engineering, procurement, and construction services contract for the Cascade power plant.
Inline Group, a geotechnical engineering company, provided construction survey, UAV, and materials testing services.
Siemens Energy, an energy technology company based in Germany, was awarded the contract for the gas turbines in August 2020.
Torys, an international law company based in Canada, provided advisory services.
