pwr_october-2024 - 22

TOP PLANT
Jackson Generation Pioneers
North America's First M501JAC
Gas Turbines
Courtesy: Jackson Generation
The Jackson Generation plant, a 1.2-GW combined cycle power plant in Elwood,
Illinois, debuted North America's first M501JAC gas turbines. Developed by J-POWER
USA, the facility has emerged as a model for flexible, digitally enabled power
generation in a rapidly evolving energy landscape.
Sonal Patel
A
bout a decade ago, PJM Interconnection-one
of the largest and
most dynamic organized wholesale
power markets in the U.S.-began
signaling signs of an impending capacity
crunch. Although it faced higher-thanexpected
demand projections, the entity
began bracing for the potential retirement
of up to 20% of its coal-fired fleet,
driven by federal Mercury and Air Toxics
Standards (MATS). At the same time, Illinois'
six nuclear power plants-a combined
capacity of about 12 GW-began
showing signs of economic struggle
against a dramatic plunge in wholesale
spot market prices, owing in large part
to low natural gas prices. And while PJM
geared up for a rapid growth of renewables,
largely supported by Renewable
Portfolio Standards and other legislative
policies, the market increasingly showed
it was adequately ripe for new, highly
flexible gas-fired power plants.
At the time, J-POWER USA Development
Co. Ltd. (J-POWER), a U.S.-based
development arm wholly owned by Tokyo,
Japan-headquartered Electric Power
Development Co., held ownership in
Elwood Energy, a 1.3-GW power plant
comprising nine GE 7FA turbines that
began operation in 1999. Elwood, sited
in Will County, Illinois, close to Chicago,
performs as one of the largest peakers
in PJM. " We had years before bought
land in and around Elwood Energy with
thoughts of some future development
work, " said Ryan Kozey, J-POWER USA
22
director of Construction and Asset Optimization.
" We started initial development
work [between 2013 and 2015],
and it turned out to be the right spot for
our next big venture as a company. "
Elwood Energy's proximity was a key
factor in the decision to develop Jackson
Generation nearby, as it provided access
to critical interconnection infrastructure
with ComEd, Kozey explained. Equally
important was the site's location near
three natural gas suppliers-ANR, Northern
Border, and Alliance. Although connecting
the suppliers required significant
infrastructure investment, it aligned with
J-POWER's strategy to ensure fuel flexibility
and long-term resilience for Jackson
Generation.
Pioneering a New Gas Turbine Model
in North America
The new project quickly progressed. But
rather than developing a run-of-the-mill
1,200-MW combined cycle power plant,
the team at J-POWER USA took extraordinary
steps to pioneer a new model of
gas turbine technology in North America.
At the heart of the Jackson Generation
facility is Mitsubishi Power's M501JAC
gas turbine, an enhanced air-cooled configuration
of the Japanese company's
original steam-cooled J-series design.
In July 2019, when Mitsubishi Power announced
J-POWER USA's order for two
1-on-1 M501JAC power trains, they were
the 62nd and 63rd J-Series gas turbines
ordered globally. The turbine model inherently
reaped lessons from rigorous
www.powermag.com
verification at Mitsubishi Power's gridconnected
T-Point 2 facility in Japan.
However, Jackson Generation's two
M501JAC turbines were to become the
first manufactured at Mitsubishi Power's
2010-opened Savannah Machinery
Works located in Pooler, Georgia. For
Mitsubishi Power, the order represented
a significant start-point to showcase its
technology, purposefully developed for
the exceptional flexibility and efficiency
demanded by evolving markets like PJM.
Flexibility was a top priority for J-POWER,
Kozey noted. A key selling point was
Mitsubishi Power's TOMONI Very Low
Load (VLL) technology, which enables
each 1 by 1 power train to operate at less
than 25% of full load while remaining in
emissions compliance. " That was probably
one of the biggest marketable items
out there, to be able to operate at lower
loads, even below [minimum emissionscompliant
load (MECL)] at times, " he said.
In addition, Jackson Generation's plant
design incorporated two heat recovery
steam generators (HRSGs) designed and
supplied by steam production specialist
John Cockerill Energy. These three-pressure
plus reheat HRSGs were crafted
with a modular casing, a design perfected
on major cogeneration and combined cycle
projects in Canada and Pennsylvania.
" The HRSG features a gas turbine flow
correction device and multiple stages of
carbon monoxide (CO) catalysts to maximize
CO and volatile organic compound
destruction, " John Cockerill told POWER.
" The duct burner is a typical design. The
POWER | October 2024
http://www.powermag.com
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