POWER September 2010 - 30

TOP PLANTS
Panoche
Energy
Center,
Firebaugh,
California
Owner/developer/operator: Energy Investment
Funds/APEX Power Group LLC/
Power Plant Management Services LLC
P
anoche Energy Center (PEC) got its
start in December 2004 when the California
Public Utilities Commission authorized
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) to
" plan for and procure the resources necessary
to provide reliable service to their customer
loads for the planning period 2005 through
2014. " PG&E's resource planners pored over
their computer models and determined that
1,200 MW of new peaking generation were
required in 2008 and another 1,000 MW of
new peaking and dispatchable generation
would be required in 2010. The company began
the process of acquiring that new peaking
and dispatchable generation, located in a
designated area of its service territory, with
a competitively bid request for offers (RFO)
issued on March 18, 2005.
APEX Power Group LLC was one of several
successful bidders on the RFO. It signed
a contract for 400 MW of dispatchable gasfired
generation in April 2006.
Project Conditions
The 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA)
required the PEC, located in western Fresno
County about 50 miles from Fresno, to be in
commercial operation by August 1, 2009, to
avoid delay-related damage payments. Other
terms of the PPA shaped the possible generation
options for the project, but PEC selected
four of General Electric's LMS100 simplecycle
combustion turbines (CTs) as the best
technology. Other key PPA terms and conditions
included those detailed below.
A Compact Project Site. The PEC is
located on a 12.8-acre site leased by the developer
within a 128-acre parcel owned by
PG&E that is adjacent to the Panoche Substation.
This site also provided other advantages
to the developer: Only 2,400 feet of natural
30
gas pipe were required to provide fuel to the
plant, and the Panoche Substation is located
only 300 feet from the plant site. However,
gas pressure at the project site varies seasonally,
from 400 psig to 1,000 psig, so gas
compression is required to meet the CTs' required
950 psig inlet pressure.
Fast Response. The 100-MW LMS100
is able to ramp from a cold start to full load
in 9.5 minutes, according to plant test data.
With four CTs, PG&E can easily dispatch
convenient 100-MW blocks of load into the
critical Path 15 corridor. By locating the plant
adjacent to an existing switchyard, PG&E
avoided substantial substation upgrade costs
to keep project cost as low as possible.
The PPA requires PEC, as an intermediate-load
and peaking facility, to operate up to
5,000 hours a year at a service factor of 57%
(the percentage of time that a unit is operating
regardless of load) and a projected equivalent
www.powermag.com
The Panoche Energy Center is a 400-MW simple-cycle
power plant using four of General Electric's GE
LMS100s with fast-start capability. Dispatched by Pacific
Gas & Electric to meet regional power and grid
stabilization needs, the project entered commercial
service two months earlier than planned. Panoche is
the largest LMS100 peaking facility in the U.S.
By Dr. Robert Peltier, PE
Courtesy: Kiewit
availability factor of between 95% and 99%
(the weighted average of the percentage of
energy production achievable). The PPA also
allows PG&E the option of up to 365 startups
and shutdowns each year.
High Efficiency. Each LMS100 operates
at an estimated 7,815 Btu/kWh heat rate at
full load at 59F and 60% relative humidity
while producing 103 MW at the generator
terminals. GE added the LMS100 to its
stable of gas turbine generators late in 2003
to address growing demand for efficient,
mid-range (80 MW to 160 MW) peaking
capacity. GE answered that need by carefully
mixing and matching the best parts of
its aeroderivative and industrial machines
and designing the rest.
One of the keys to the excellent part-load
efficiency of the LMS100 is its intercooler.
It increases the turbine's efficiency by precooling
the air supply for the high-pressure
POWER | September 2010
http://www.powermag.com
POWER September 2010

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