Emporia Energy, Westar Energy’s peaking power plant northeast of the city, was completed under budget, ahead of schedule and with more power capacity than expected.
On a chilly, windy morning city and county officials and other officials showed up Tuesday at the plant at Road 200 and Road S for an open house and luncheon to celebrate its completion. Westar Energy announced plans for the plant in August 2006. The estimated cost was $333 million.
Ground was broken at the plant on March 12, 2007. Construction progressed in two phases — Phase One was completed June 1, 2008, and Phase Two was completed in February — two months ahead of schedule. Burning natural gas, the plant can generate 665 megawatts of electricity using small 45-megawatt aeroderivative turbines and larger frame units that are capable of generating 160 megawatts of electricity. The site also includes a water tank to cool the turbines and be used in case of fire. The water tank holds about 900,000 gallons of water.
The plant finished $8 million under budget and is capable of generating more than 10 percent more power than expected, said Greg Greenwood, vice-president for generation construction at Westar Energy.
The plant was intended to run during times of peak demand, such as hot summer days, but while natural gas prices are low, the plant is running about five days a week generating power four to eight hours a day, said plant manager Larry Graves. Graves said the plant is manned seven days a week and when the plant runs will be dependent on customers’ demand for electricity and on the price of natural gas.
Some of the gas used is landfill-generated, Graves said. Greenwood said the plant is well-suited to follow wind energy as well. If wind turbines are built nearby and the wind is calm, the peaking power plant can make up lost ground.
“It’s a good complement to each other,” he said.
“This is the gap between doing the right thing and moving forward,” Graves said. “It’s clean.”
The power plant will employ six people full-time. During peak construction, nearly 550 people worked at the plant. Graves is one of the six people who will work full-time at the plant. He moved to Emporia in 2007 with his 2-year-old daughter, Samantha, when the construction project started. He said Emporia attracted him as a good place to raise his daughter. He wanted to raise Samantha in a place like his childhood home in Montana.
Graves said the plant adds to the value of the community by keeping electricity prices lower and will allow the students at Flint Hills Technical College to see technology in action.
eiggohp (anonymous) says...
I can not believe ANYTHING is done for under budget and ahead of schedule any more.....someone has done a great job in managing the building of this.....way to go!!!!
May 6, 2009 at 5:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
powerone (anonymous) says...
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
May 7, 2009 at 10:47 a.m. ( permalink )