Energy development group Maple Creek Energy LLC said it has secured an agreement to purchase a GE Vernova 7HA.03 gas turbine in a single-shaft configuration, along with associated services, for the first phase of the company’s two-phase Maple Creek natural gas-fired power project in Sullivan County, Indiana.
The installation is being developed by Advanced Power, a privately-owned global developer, manager, and owner of power generation infrastructure, along with BDC Power Holdings, a Bechtel company. Advanced Power is headquartered in Switzerland, with U.S. offices in Boston, Massachusetts, and Houston, Texas. Infrastructure investor ArcLight Capital Partners is the owner of Maple Creek and is funding the equipment procurement.
GE Vernova is a sponsor of POWER’s Experience POWER event in Denver, set for Oct. 29-31 at the Hyatt Regency Convention Center hotel. Clive Nickolay, CEO—Heavy Duty Gas Turbines & Aeroderivatives for GE Vernova, will sit down with POWER Senior Editor Darrell Proctor at the event on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 4 p.m., for a discussion of the company’s technology and the future of gas-fired power generation.
The agreement announced October 27 includes existing permits, land control, and transmission interconnection. The companies said they expect the project, a two-phase, gas-fueled electric-generation facility with more than 1.2 GW of generation capacity,, will enter commercial operation as soon as 2029. Officials in a news release on Monday said the “project will utilize lower-carbon natural gas and recovered steam in a combined-cycle configuration to deliver flexible, more sustainable energy to the MISO [Midcontinent Independent System Operator] grid.”
“Advanced Power’s expertise is delivering complex, modern power projects on time and on budget, while navigating the hurdles that emerge in a changing energy landscape,” said Tom Spang, CEO of Advanced Power. Spang told POWER, “Long equipment lead times have become one of those challenges, yet through disciplined planning, rigorous due diligence, and structured execution, we continue to develop facilities that generate reliable power and help empower communities.”
Bechtel Serves as EPC Lead
Bechtel Infrastructure & Power Corp. will serve as the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor for the facility.
“Developing these grid-scale generation projects typically takes years, and this agreement with GE Vernova marks a pivotal milestone in the execution of a project that began in 2021,” said Spang. “Maple Creek will soon be ready to deliver reliable, dispatchable power to one of the fastest-growing load centers in the country. Advanced Power’s depth of experience in developing CCGT [combined-cycle gas turbine] facilities will strive to deliver a project designed for speed, flexibility, and performance—exactly what Indiana utilities and hyperscalers need to support growing demands for power and grid reliability.”
The companies noted that “securing GE Vernova’s power generation equipment eliminates a critical development risk: long-lead equipment procurement, at a time when global supply chain constraints continue to challenge other new generation projects. MISO projects an increase of up to 30 gigawatts [GW] in additional demand over the next decade, driven by ongoing factors such as the onshoring of manufacturing, continued electrification of the economy, and now, advancements in centers in the digital economy. We believe Maple Creek is uniquely positioned to meet this surge with scalable, lower-carbon power sooner than other proposed projects.”
“GE Vernova is honored that Advanced Power and BDC Power Holdings LLC have selected to develop the Maple Creek project with our most advanced 7HA.03 gas turbine technology, a testament to our commitment to helping accelerate new generation capacity to support demand growth in the United States,” said Dave Ross, president and CEO of GE Vernova’s Gas Power business in the Americas.
Maple Creek is part of Advanced Power’s broader development portfolio, which includes more than 12 GW of thermal and renewable generation projects and more than 9 GWh of energy storage. Click here to learn more about Advanced Power’s projects in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
—Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER.
