The CPV Three River Energy Center is a natural gas-fired combined-cycle power plant with a capacity of 1.25GW. It is one of the world’s most efficient and least polluting power plants of its type and will support the nation’s green energy transition.
Located in Illinois, US, the plant was developed with an estimated investment of $1.3bn. It is managed by Competitive Power Ventures (CPV), which is also the co-owner along with Axium Infrastructure, Harrison Street, Concord Infrastructure Investments, and Osaka Gas. It will be operated by Consolidated Asset Management Services.
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Construction of the CPV Three River Energy Center commenced in August 2020 and the plant became operational in August 2023. It is capable of supplying electricity to more than 1.25 million homes in Northern Illinois and Chicago and offsetting carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to removing 300,000 cars off the road in a year.
Location
The CPV Three Rivers Energy Center is located on an 80-acre site south of the Illinois River in Goose Lake Township, Grundy County, Illinois.
The plant is situated 97km south of Chicago.
CPV Three Rivers Energy Center details
The CPV Three Rivers power plant includes two generating blocks. Each block houses a General Electric (GE) 7HA.02 gas turbine, an STF-A650 steam turbine, and a W84 generator. In addition, each block is equipped with GE’s built-in Mark VLE control system to control and monitor the performance of the gas turbine generator.
The CPV power plant site receives natural gas through a 36in-diameter natural gas pipeline operated by Kinder Morgan, an energy infrastructure company based in the US.
The plant is connected to a 345kV transmission line operated by PJM Interconnection.
Turbine details
GE’s 7HA gas turbine is a high-efficiency, air-cooled turbine offering 64% combined-cycle efficiency, which is 30% to 40% higher than traditional baseload generation technologies. It has a net output of 573MW in combined-cycle mode and offers enhanced fuel flexibility, accommodating gaseous and liquid fuels.
The turbines can ramp up to full load in ten minutes and feature a modular configuration that enables easy maintenance and inspection. The air-cooled design uses 90% less water than a wet-cooled facility, enabling the conservation of resources.
The STF-A650 is a two-casing reheat It can be used in either single-shaft or multi-shaft mode.
The pressure and temperature at the main inlet of the turbine can reach 2,680 pounds per square inch and 1,112℉, respectively. The turbine can generate up to 300MW of power output.
The power generation equipment is monitored by GE’s Monitoring & Diagnostics Center in Atlanta, US, to ensure safe and reliable operations.
Funding
The project received $875m in senior loans, encompassing a term loan of $750m and $125m in additional credit facilities from 14 international financial institutions and a group of equity partners.
Contractors involved
Builder and engineer Kiewit was responsible for the construction of the power plant.
GE Vernova, a part of GE, supplied the gas and steam turbines and other related equipment.
Flenco, a supplier of auxiliary systems for the energy sector, was subcontracted by GE to supply these systems for the project.
GZA GeoEnvironmental, a geotechnical and environmental engineering services provider, offered environmental and regulatory guidance for the project.
Commissioning services provider B&W Energy Services and consultant Sargent & Lundy are some of the other contractors involved in the CPV Three Rivers Energy Center development
