Lackawanna Energy Center is a 1,480MW natural gas-fired combined-cycle power plant (CCPP) located in the Borough of Jessup, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, US.
The $1bn project was developed by Invenergy in partnership with private equity and infrastructure investment firm First Reserve (now BlackRock Real Assets).
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Construction on the project was started in April 2016 and commercial operation was started in January 2019.
The Lackawanna Energy Center is one of most efficient and lowest emission gas-fired power plants in the US.
It is expected to generate enough electricity to power approximately one million US homes and displace generation from conventional fossil fuel-based power units in the PJM Interconnection, the biggest organized power market in the US.
The Lackawanna Energy Center project created 1,198 jobs during the construction phase.
Lackawanna Energy Center plant make-up
The Lackawanna Energy Center is made up of three power islands of single-shaft combined-cycle configuration. Each power island is equipped with a General Electric (GE) 7HA.02 air-cooled gas turbine and a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG). The three islands share a single steam turbine.
With a rated capacity of 384MW, the 7HA.02 gas turbine can generate up to 50MW of energy in a minute and ramp up to full load in ten minutes.
The power plant is also equipped with a 12MmBTU/hr gas dew-point heater, a 184.8Mm BTU/hr gas-fired auxiliary boiler, a 2,000kW diesel-powered emergency generator, and a 315HP diesel-powered water pump.
The power plant uses a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system for mitigating the nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from the HRSGs. Oxidation catalysts are used to control carbon monoxide (CO) and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from the combustion turbines and duct burners.
Supporting infrastructure for the project includes two diesel fuel storage tanks, three lubricating oil tanks, and an aqueous ammonia storage tank.
Transmission details
The electricity generated by the Lackawanna Energy Center is transmitted through a 4.2mi (6km)-long overhead transmission line to PPL Electric Utilities’ existing Lackawanna 230-69kV substation.
It is further transmitted to PJM’s interconnection system via a 230kV single-circuit line and two 138-69kV double-circuit lines.
Fuel gas supply for Lackawanna Energy Center
The Lackawanna Energy Center receives fuel gas supply from the Triad Expansion Project of Tennessee Gas Pipeline, which is a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan.
The 11.2km-long and 36in-diameter Triad Expansion pipeline is capable of supplying 180,000 dekatherms of gas a day (Dth/d).
Lackawanna Energy Center project financing
Financial closure for the project was achieved in December 2016. A group of lenders including BNP Paribas, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, ING Capital, GE Energy Financial Services, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), and Hana Financial Investment provided senior debt facilities worth $1bn for the project.
Contractors involved
Kiewit Power Constructors (KPC) was the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the Lackawanna Energy Center.
GE supplied the gas turbines, while CMI Energy was awarded the contract for the supply of three heat recovery boilers in 2014.
RM Controls supplied its proprietary Eslin insulation systems for the project.
Cabot Oil & Gas supplies natural gas fuel to the facility, while South Jersey Resources provides fuel management services.
