Wärtsilä has been selected to deliver equipment for a 115.6 MW gas-fired power plant to a subsidiary of Cogentrix Energy, Inc. ("Cogentrix"), a major independent power producer in the United States. The plant, Plains End II ("PE II"), will be located in Arvada, Colorado near Denver and is expected to enter commercial operation in 2008.
Cogentrix also owns Plains End ("PE"), a 113 MWe power plant also equipped with Wärtsilä gas engines and located adjacent to the site for the PE II plant. PE has been in commercial operation since 2002, reliably delivering energy, capacity and ancillary services to Xcel Energy, a major investor owned utility company, through a long term Power Purchase Agreement.
"This clearly confirms the fact that our reciprocating engine technology is competitive with the more traditional technology for projects of this size," says Mr. Frank Donnelly, Vice President, Power Plants, Wärtsilä in North America. "Wärtsilä technology has proven to provide superior ancillary service benefits with increased reliability for our customers. PE has been a success for everyone involved and we are committed to repeating that success with the new plant."
Wärtsilä will deliver 14 Wärtsilä 20V34SG engines on an equipment supply basis for the PE II power plant. These engines will use natural gas as their only fuel source. The simple cycle plant will provide capacity, energy and black start capabilities to the local grid.
Wärtsilä’s Spark Gas Engine Technology
Wärtsilä’s natural gas fuelled technology offers the capability to operate at an extremely low minimum plant output with all of the gensets in operation. This feature increases the number of megawatts of spinning reserve available to the customer and thereby increases the value of the plant.
Other features of the technology features outstanding heat rates, the ability to go from start to full plant output in less than ten minutes, and rapid response to system frequency variations. When required, Wärtsilä’s spark gas engine technology can supply grid voltage support through the generation of reactive power and also offers black start capability at a very low capital cost.
Furthermore, because Wärtsilä’s engines do not use process water, there is no impact on area water supplies. Additionally, minimal impact on the environment is realized not only because the technology does not produce waste water runoff, but also because the air emissions meet today’s increasingly stringent environmental requirements.