2015 CTOTF Fall Turbine Forum, Issue 2

"The bones of the plant were still really good," Plant Manager Jeff Zelik said, referring to the condition of the Eagle Point Power Generation facility in Westville, NJ, when Rockland Capital purchased it in April 2012. But five years of essentially no maintenance investment or capital improvement had clearly taken its toll. That was then. Today, Eagle Point expects the plant capacity factor to approach 50% once the last of the capital improvements are finished. more   
Woodbridge Energy Center: O&M begins well before first fire
Non-utility combined-cycle facilities often have separate entities for ownership, EPC services, onsite O&M, and long-term care of the gas turbines. While this arrangement may create efficiencies within each function, it can also create gaps among the organizations involved. One of the most important of these gaps occurs as construction winds down and commissioning ramps up. more
First 7FA.05 gas turbines go commercial at Xcel Cherokee
Three new 2 � 1 combined cycles with the latest 7FA.05 gas turbine technology from GE, two in New Jersey and Xcel Energy's 569-MW unit at the existing Cherokee Generating Station in Denver, were in the running to declare the earliest commercial operating date (COD). Xcel won with a COD of Aug 20. The short three months after first fire May 19 is significant because of the summer peaking period and the location of Cherokee and its importance to the Denver grid. According to Gerald Kelly, Xcel Project Manager, 17 transmission lines tie in at the plant. more 
Effective procedures enable top performance
When human error leads to operational or equipment failure, RCA investigations often reveal that either a process was in place but not followed or there simply was no written process, Plant Manager Bob Burchfield said in introducing a best practice on how to write effective procedures. Burchfield manages Faribault Energy Park, a 265-MW 1 � 1 F-class combined cycle owned by the Minnesota Municipal Power Agency and operated by NAES Corp, and has been a regular participant in CCJ's annual Best Practices Awards program. more 
Save the Dates: 2016 User Group Schedule
The meetings listed in this calendar are conducted by independent user groups serving generating plants powered by gas turbines. The editors recommend they receive priority status in your conference planning. more