Siemens F-class turbines begin commercial operation in California

Siemens recently supplied four power 180 MW Siemens simple cycle SGT6-5000F gas turbine units to power American operator NRG Energy's gas-fired Marsh Landing Generating Station (720 MW), located in Antioch, California, 40 miles from San Francisco. The 720 MW gas-fired plant, a Brownfield development, began commercial operation supplying the California grid on May 1.

Flexible generation source

The Marsh Landing Generating station is being called a flexible electrical generation source with "quick start" capability turbines. Siemens supplied four SGT6-5000F gas turbines, four SGen-1000A generators the project. The four F-Class turbines have ramped up reliably in 12 minutes to the full load of 720 MW, according to Siemens which provided technical support with installation and commissioning. It also contributed one SPPA-T3000 control system, along with auxiliary and secondary systems.

NRG's new plant is in a "good position to support solar." Last December saw the plant's operator, GenOn, merge with NRG, the largest solar power developer in the country. NRG now is now the US's largest competitive power generation company, with about 100 mixed generation assets scattered throughout the country and a potential capacity of about 47,000MW.

Emissions comply with EPA rules

The plant is designed to comply with emissions standards set out by the US regulator, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), using Siemens' Fast–Start technology to minimize transient emissions, while ramping up the gas turbine between 60 percent to base load. The plant uses ultra-low nitrogen oxides (NOx) combustors, and a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system to control NOx emissions, according to NRG.

California's regulations governing say new power plants for baseload generation must be in compliance with the SB 1368 Emission Performance Standards. The project also meets standards outside of California, including the EPA's Best Available Control Technology standard and LEED, an international standard for green construction.