Fast-Track Schedule
Because the project exceeds 50 MW, siting jurisdiction fell to the California Energy Commission (CEC). The required Application for Certification was filed by PEC in August 2006, only four months after the PPA was signed with PG&E. The following month, an order was placed with GE to purchase the four LMS100 CTs and associated equipment, including the SCR system. On July 7 of the following year, PEC signed a full-wrap engineering-procurement-construction (EPC) contract for the engineering and construction of PEC by Kiewit Power Engineers and Kiewit Power Constructors. Power Plant Management Services was retained as the PEC asset manager. The Wood Group is the onsite operation and maintenance (O&M) contractor. A dozen Wood Group O&M technicians and supervisions keep the plant running reliably.
The CEC’s final order approving the project—the final permit required before financing of the project could be finalized—was issued in December 2007. Financial closing on the project occurred in January 2008, 21 months after the PPA was signed.
Recovering from Delayed Deliveries
Delivery of equipment posed exceptional challenges during construction, especially with the first of the four CT main units. Major equipment (many loads weighed up to 200 tons) was slated to travel by highway from the manufacturing plant near Houston, Texas, with over-the-road trucks as long as a football field. Due to changing requirements from several states’ transportation departments for permitted loads, haul routes and shipping restrictions delayed the first unit’s planned transport schedule. The first CT was 76 days in transit.
Delays in equipment delivery were particularly critical because the project was planned to be built from the inside out on a very compact job site. The Kiewit Power and GE team immediately stepped up to the challenge and rescheduled construction and engineering resources by modifying balance-of-plant construction sequencing. The team also worked closely with GE to overcome shipping restrictions on overland heavy haul issues and expedited unit deliveries via barge shipments to a port closer to the facility site. A dedicated barge that was able to dock in Stockton significantly reduced time on the road and proved to be a much more schedule-efficient solution: The last CT was only 30 days in transit.
Throughout the project, the Kiewit team was able to successfully meet or beat their project milestone dates—a marked difference from the many other developers and contractors awarded projects under the same RFO. The Kiewit team was the exception, bringing the PEC project to completion ahead of schedule. Construction began the month after financial closing (February 12, 2008) and the CT foundations were quickly completed. The four CTs and associated equipment were set from October through December of 2008. Commercial operation of PEC was achieved on June 1, 2009, two months ahead of the July 31, 2009, contractual deadline required by the PPA. All personnel safety goals were also met; there was only a single recordable injury during construction.
Operation of PEC has been exceptional since the plant began commercial service. In December 2009, all four units were dispatched by PG&E for 364.2 hours, experienced 83 starts, and sold 24,618 MWh. By the conclusion of 2009, PEC had operated for 2,122 fired-hours (the sum of each combustion turbine’s fired-hours) with a start reliability of 99.8%. Through the first six months of 2010, PEC has operated for 1,415.1 fired-hours with a start reliability of 99.6%.
— Dr. Robert Peltier, PE is POWER’s editor-in-chief.
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