GE completes gas turbine upgrade project in Oregon

GE’s Power Services business recently announced the completion of a gas turbine upgrade project in Oregon. For Washington-state utility Avista, GE’s Power Services business upgraded the utility’s 280MW Coyote Springs Power Generation Facility Unit 2 in Boardman, Oregon, which produces electricity to meet the needs of 210,000 homes.

The utility installed GE’s Advanced Gas Path (AGP) and Dry Low NOx 2.6+ (DLN2.6+) combustion technologies and increased the plant’s flexibility, plant capacity by 18 MW in combined-cycle mode and fuel efficiency by 1.56 percent, which is expected to help the plant meet winter capacity challenges. Avista has also extended its existing multi-year service agreement with GE.

GE’s proven AGP technology is said to contribute to the improved durability of the gas turbine equipment and extend maintenance intervals from three to four years, which is expected to help improve Avista’s competitiveness by reducing operational costs and shorten downtime for maintenance. The DLN2.6+ combustion system is helping Avista to improve Coyote Springs’s flexibility without using additional water in the process.

Jason Thackston, Avista’s senior vice president of energy resources said, “This upgrade project made sense because a more flexible combined-cycle plant allows us to better respond to increased energy demands during the winter months and support regional grid stability. Increasing the capacity of our existing facilities also reduces the urgency to build new generating capacity in the region.”

Caroline Reda, vice president of North America for GE’s Power Services business said, “GE offers utilities like Avista total plant life cycle solutions that will help reduce startup times, lower emissions and increase the output and efficiency of the power station.”