Gas Turbines

GE Vernova to supply aeroderivative gas turbine equipment for Colorado peaker plant

The 162 MW Mountain Peak Power Plant will be operated by Kindle Energy and serve the United Power electric cooperative.
GE Vernova to supply aeroderivative gas turbine equipment for Colorado peaker plant
(One of GE Vernova's LM2500XPRESS units. Image by GE Vernova.)

GE Vernova will provide six LM2500XPRESS aeroderivative gas turbine packages for a new natural gas-fired peaking plant in Colorado, the company said.

The Mountain Peak Power (MPP) plant will be built in Weld County, Colorado and is expected to come online in 2025. The 162 MW plant is will be operated by Kindle Energy and serve the United Power electric cooperative.

Each LM2500XPRESS power package includes an LM2500 aeroderivative gas turbine, a distributed control system (DCS) and a Dry Low Emissions (DLE) combustion system, which can reduce emissions without the use of water, a scarce resource in northeast Colorado. 

GE said the units can perform multiple daily starts and stops and start in as little as five minutes from cold iron. These units will be assembled at the company’s Gas Power Manufacturing Excellence Center in Veresegyhaz, Hungary.

In addition to the power generation equipment, GE has provided co-development funding to speed up development and construction.

Colorado has committed to reducing overall GHG emissions 50% below 2005 levels by 2030 and 90% by 2050. This includes exiting coal by 2031. As of early 2023, seven coal-fired electric power generating facilities were operating in Colorado — until one was retired and converted to natural gas. The remaining plants are scheduled to either close or be converted to natural gas to provide peaking power.

“In a region with an increasing power demand due to planned coal-fired plants retirements and increased renewable energy generation, a mix of flexible and efficient energy sources will be necessary to achieve the carbon emissions goals of Colorado, while ensuring the reliability of power supply,” said Lee Davis, CEO of Kindle Energy.

GE Vernova said the MPP plant is the company’s second dispatchable peaking project in Colorado.

Kindle Energy currently manages and operates nearly 10.2 GW of generation located in Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey and Ohio, according to the company’s website.

The New Jersey-based company is currently building a 700 MW natural gas-fired combined-cycle plant in Iberville Parish, Louisiana. The Magnolia Power Generating Station will provide electricity directly to five rural utility cooperatives across the state starting in May 2025.

The Magnolia Power Project would include a GE 7HA.03 gas turbine, a GE STF-A650 steam turbine and a triple pressure with reheat Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG). The company’s Mark VIe control system would provide turbine generator control, data collection and performance visibility.

GE has also said the Magnolia plant would have the eventual ability to blend up to 50% hydrogen.

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