Sunbury pipeline nears completion in Pennsylvania

From an Article by Marie Cusick, PA StateImpact NPR, December 22, 2016

The coal plant in Shamokin Dam delivered electricity to the region for more than six decades. It closed in 2014. Next to it, a new natural gas power plant is under construction. The Sunbury Pipeline will feed Marcellus Shale gas into that plant.

A new 20-inch pipeline designed to deliver Marcellus Shale gas to a power plant in central Pennsylvania is nearing completion.

UGI Energy Services’s $150 million Sunbury pipeline is expected to be in service early next month. The line begins in Lycoming County and runs 35 miles southward. It’s designed to feed the new Hummel Station power plant, which is under construction at the site of the former Sunbury coal plant in Shamokin Dam, Synder County. The power plant is expected to come online in early 2018.

“The pipeline is in place along its entire route,” says UGI spokesman Ken Robinson. “Thursday of last week, the pipeline underwent a standard procedure known as ‘purge and pack.’ During this process, the pipeline was purged of air, mostly oxygen, and packed with natural gas.”

UGI has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to place the line into service January 1, 2017.

Although most of its gas is ultimately intended for the power plant, the Sunbury line will also supply UGI’s Central Penn system, which distributes gas to homes and businesses in the region.

Hummel Station is one of three new natural gas power plants being built in Pennsylvania by the Dallas, Texas-based private equity firm, Panda Power Funds. These projects are part of a broader, national trend away from coal, as natural gas takes up an increasing share of electric power generation.

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Moundsville Power, a project of Quantum Utility Generation

Technical Presentation: “Planned Natural Gas Electric Generation,”  Suriyun Sukduang, Vice President, Engineering & Project Development, Quantum Utility Generation, WV Governor’s Energy Summit, Stonewall Jackson Resort, October 7, 2016.

Moundsville Power is to be a 595 MW combined-cycle gas or natural gas liquids -fired electric generating facility located in Marshall, WV, on the Ohio River. The facility will consist of two combustion turbine generators (CTGs), connected to two heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs). The HRSGs harness exhaust heat from the CTGs to generate high-quality, superheated steam.

The steam is generated into electricity in an environmentally friendly and efficient manner through a single steam turbine. Upon completion, this facility will provide base load and intermediate power needs to the PJM market. The facility is anticipated to become operational in late 2018.

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Moundsville Power Plant Project Delayed

From an Article by Alan Olson,  Wheeling Intelligencer, October 5, 2016

An official representing the developers of the Moundsville Power natural gas electricity project spoke before the Marshall County Commission Tuesday morning, saying the plant is set to begin construction, aside from pending legal action.

Spokesman Curtis Wilkerson told commissioners construction on the natural gas plant, which was expected to begin this month, is currently on hold pending litigation from the Ohio Valley Jobs Alliance. This coal industry-backed group filed appeals against Moundsville Power’s air quality permit, granted by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. Filed last year, the alliance’s complaint claims the plant will produce emissions in excess of regulations.

Wilkerson was unable to say when work will resume, even in a best-case scenario for Moundsville Power, but estimated that it would likely be months.

“We have to go through things with the legal system at this point, and find out how long that will take,” Wilkerson said. “Everything else is in line. We were ready to break ground and have shovels and hardhats in October. … We think it will be pushed back a few months from today.”

Wilkerson said that aside from the appeals, preparations at Moundsville Power were progressing well. He believes the finished project will create an economic boon for the region. The plant is expected to create 400 jobs during construction and employ 30 people full-time. However, alliance officials maintain natural gas-fired plants such as Moundsville Power pose a threat to coal jobs in the area.

Wilkerson said the alliance is the sole remaining obstacle to constriction before the scheduled opening on June 1, 2018.

“Their obstruction is the only thing that is keeping this from happening,” he said. “We believe the OVJA is doing everything in their power to delay the project.”

Commissioners thanked Wilkerson for updating the county on the situation without further comment, before adjourning after an executive session pertaining to the County Assessor’s office behind closed doors.

On Ohio River in Marshall County, WV

See also: www.FrackCheckWV.net

Liberty Station, Panda Power, 829 MW

Marcellus Shale power plant(s) commissioned in Bradford County

From an Article by Marie Cusick, NPR StateImpact PA, October 28, 2016

State Sen. Gene Yaw (R- Bradford) spoke Thursday at the commissioning of a new gas power plant. State and local officials celebrated the commissioning  of what’s been dubbed the first “Marcellus Shale” power plant.

The Liberty Power Plant in Bradford County is one of three natural gas plants being built in Pennsylvania by Panda Power Funds, a private equity firm based in Dallas, Texas. The company plans to commission its sister plant, the Patriot, in Lycoming County November 16. Both 829 megawatt plants came online in July and can provide enough power for up to 1 million homes.

“Both plants were specifically put where they are because of the proximity to the Marcellus Shale,” says Panda Power Funds spokesman Bill Pentak.

“It’s a great way to take our gas and make it value-added and send electricity out of our county,” says Bradford County Commissioner Doug McLinko (R). “It’s terrific.”

The third project is the 1,124 megawatt Hummel Station plant, in Sunbury, Northumberland County. It involves re-purposing an old coal-fired plant, and is part of a broader shift, as the nation’s power grid moves away from coal, toward more natural gas and renewable energy.

“That’s about 20 percent complete,” says Pentak, who expects Hummel Station to come online in the first quarter of 2018. ”It’s one of the largest coal-to natural gas power replacement projects in the U.S.”

UGI Energy Services is currently constructing the Sunbury Pipeline, a 20-inch line that will travel 35 miles from Lycoming County to feed Marcellus Shale gas into the Hummel Station plant.

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Siemens and Panda Power Funds commission Liberty Power Project in US

From an Article in Power Technology, October 31, 2016

Siemens and Panda Power Funds have successfully commissioned Panda Liberty Power Project, a 829 MW natural gas-fueled power plant.

The project is located in Bradford County, Pennsylvania. Leveraging Marcellus Shale gas, Liberty is the first of two new Panda Power Funds generating stations to be commissioned in Pennsylvania this year, with the Patriot Power Project in Clinton Township set to be dedicated in November.

Siemens will be responsible for the advanced power generation technology, financing, and long-term servicing for the Liberty and Patriot projects. Electricity generated will be able to power approximately two million households in large regional power markets, including Pennsylvania.

Siemens’ power and gas energy solutions Americas senior executive vice-president Martin Tartibi said: “The commissioning of this highly-efficient power plant marks another milestone in our successful relationship with Panda Power Funds. This project demonstrates the full spectrum of Siemens’ portfolio, from our leading edge H-class technology, to financing, to service and maintenance.

“As America continues to turn to cleaner-burning natural gas, we are proud that our world-class power generation technology can provide affordable, efficient and reliable power to about one million households, using the latest, most advanced emissions-control technology.”

The single shaft plant blocks include two SGT6-8000H gas turbines, two SST6-5000 steam turbines, two hydrogen-cooled SGen6-2000H generators, and two heat recovery steam generators, as well as the control system SPPA-T3000.

Siemens’ financial services has provided financial support for the Liberty power project construction through a $50 million term loan.

Panda Power Funds’ chief executive officer Todd Carter said: “Designed to harness gas from the Marcellus Shale, this state of the art power plant represents the next chapter in Pennsylvania’s energy renaissance.

“Working with Siemens over the last several years has proven they ‘walk the talk’ with their customer service and technological innovation, helping to bring online a world-class power asset in the Keystone State. We are very pleased to reach another important milestone in our collaboration with Siemens.”

See also: www.FrackCheckWV.net