GE's advanced power generation technology has been selected for a project near Marble Falls, Texas, that will replace an aging, less efficient power plant with a flexible, higher efficiency combined-cycle1 power plant that offers reduced fuel use, emissions and water consumption for the power it generates. When the plant begins commercial operation, expected in the summer of 2014, it will be the first combined-cycle plant in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) region that meets the latest Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Greenhouse Gas regulations.

GE will supply two Frame 7FA Gas Turbine-Generators in a two-on-one combined-cycle plant, along with installation and commissioning and technical assistance, to Fluor Corporation, the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the Ferguson Replacement Project. GE will manufacture the turbines in Greenville, S.C., the generators in Schenectady, N.Y., and develop the control system in Salem, Va. GE's manufacturing work at the three sites will involve more than 8,000 employees. The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), a public utility, will own and operate the new 540-megawatt facility, which is replacing the 420-megawatt, 37-year-old Thomas C. Ferguson Power Plant at the site.

'This new, advanced technology combined-cycle power plant will use significantly less fuel than the gas-fired plant it is replacing,' said Michael McCluskey, manager of LCRA Generation Resource Development. 'The plant will provide a more efficient, cleaner source of electricity for the community, and the project construction will make a significant contribution to the area's economy.'

Tags: GE Energy