Approach Methodologies and Candidate Applications for Repowering Existing Coal Fired Power Plant Unit Assets with Natural Gas Combustion Turbine Combined Cycle

摘要

Electric power generation companies’ recent announcements to retire older coal based power plant units due to local and federal emission regulations and lower cost natural gas fuel source may need to consider repowering options in order to retain some value out of the existing retired units. The power plant owner will need to consider use of the existing power plant assets to lower the cost of a new generation unit. Several factors will need to be reviewed for a successful repowering project, but due to the inherent benefit of an existing power facility will greatly improve the economics for new generation assist on a repowered brownfield site. Existing power facility will typically include power transmission, existing air permit, water supply availability; treated water NPDES discharge permit, existing infrastructure systems and equipment, and experienced labor as key attributes for a repowering project. A repowering project will need to review requirements for new electrical output, performance requirements, transmission constraints, existing unit steam turbine generator capabilities, site layout restrictions and existing facility infrastructure that can be reused to support the new generating asset and overall cost of the repowering project compared to the cost of a new stand alone power unit. This paper will provide repowering candidate facility considerations and an approach to identify and execute successful repowering projects