Project wins EPA CHP and Energy Star Awards

When three explosions rocked the City of Russell’s Municipal Power Plant, most of the City and a 50-mile radius went dark. After the fire was put out, only three of the original eight engine-generators were salvageable – 13.2 megawatts of electrical power generation had to be replaced.

In early September, City officials met with engineers from SKW Energy Services. After investigating several options, the SKW team recommended a cogeneration solution, also known as Combined Heat and Power (CHP). CHP can increase the efficiency of fossil fuel usage from an average of 40% to 80%. SKW was then involved in every aspect of the project:

• Removal of the destroyed power plant and warehouse
• Preliminary and final design of the new system’s control building
• Development of the heat recovery system
• Purchase and installation of equipment

The specified dual Solar Taurus™ 70 Gas Turbines (7.5 MW) are linked to heat recovery generators that recycle the waste heat from the turbines into steam. This low-cost energy source attracted the attention of ethanol producer U.S. Energy Partners whose new ethanol plant benefits from a 10-20% savings in steam purchases and lower investment in boiler capacity.

Russell’s gas turbines generate 15 MW of electricity, of which 3 MW are purchased by the ethanol plant. The exhaust produces 64,000 lb/hr of steam for the plant. The plant uses 28 percent less fuel than a typical system with onsite thermal generation for a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 21,000 tons/year and nitrogen oxide emissions by 54 tons/year.