POWER-GEN Tech Tour: Kissimmee Utility Authority Shows Off 740-MW Gas-Fired Plant |
Kissimmee Utility Authority opened the doors to its Cane Island gas-fired power plant Monday and let about 65 POWER-GEN International visitors take a look inside Way inside KUAs team led a technical tour all around the 740-MW Cane Island Power Park showing its visitors everything from the control room to generators to steam drums and beyond Three of the units are combined cycle while one unit is used as a gas peaker The tour attendees represented companies and some regulators from all over the world but they shared one common theme They were thrilled to get out of the office and see the power generation sector up close and personal Its about seeing it in action said Jennifer Czajkowski with Canadas Department of Environment and Climate Change It was interesting to see the doors open on the LM-6000 to see the size of it Indeed KUA needed only one running unit at tour-time Monday so it was safe to allow a walk-through on the other three units One of those was the GE LM-6000 turbine used for peaking Its the same as an engine in a 747 noted Larry Mattern vice president of power support for KUA It starts up in four minutes and can be completely online in 10 or 11 The group toured virtually every major component of the plant from the water demineralizers to the ignition systems to the cooling towers and control room In the latter four employees per shift and supervisor Tim Yelverton oversee every kilowatt of the 740 MW and their experience and versatility is crucialto keeping the system balanced and safe They can write software and go all the way to the instruments Mattern said Yelverton pictured above should have the last word as he led our groups tour He has been with KUA nearly all of its history and is proud of what it achieves with an overall crew of 35 workers Cane Island discharges air and water that is cleaner going out then going in he said One unit has gotten NoX emissions down to two parts per million Emissions limits are 10 times lower than when the plant opened 24 years ago he said The air that comes in is dirtier than the air that goes out Its cleaner than the highway Thanks to KUAs crew for letting POWER-GEN take a spin around the place