PERFORMANCE RANKINGS continued from 25 Southern and Duke, for instance, are spending a lot of money for
emissions standards. Los Angeles decided to get out of its contract with environmental controls. But as NOX and SO2 emissions go down, we
Intermountain [as did several other smaller California municipals]. may slightly increase our CO emissions.”
2
A lot of low cost sources Table 7: Top 20 Combined Cycle Plants Ranked by Capacity Factor (2006) of power can’t be approved 2006 2006 2006 2006 under these laws. Capacity Generation Capacity Fuel Burn
“I think California Rank Owner Plant State MW MWH Factor % MMBtu doesn’t quite realize how 1 ARCO Watson Cogen Calif. 405 2,999,574 84.5% 42,126,328 much higher the prices will 2 Saranac Power Partners LP Saranac Facility N. Y. 286 2,047,195 81.8% 17,895,983 go,” added Hewson, “and 3 Southern Company Washington County Ala. 123 845,779 78.8% 8,070,460 it’s the ratepayers who will 4 GE Cardinal Cogen Calif. 53 362,237 78.3% 4,196,252 pick up the difference. Are 5 PPG Industries RS Cogen La. 493 3,311,795 76.7% 26,632,440 6 Palmark Brooklyn Navy Yard Cogen ptns N. Y. 322 2,031,657 72.0% we really going to meet the 20,279,654 7 OGE McClain Energy Okla. 489 3,084,116 72.0% 21,405,279 future demand in California 8 Gregory Power Partners Gregory Power Plant Texas 432 2,706,019 71.5% 30,784,489 with wind, natural gas, solar 9 Tallahassee (City of) S O Purdom Fla. 278 1,734,284 71.2% 12,790,783 and efficiency? I think it 10 Energy Investor Funds Black Hawk Station Texas 253.8 1,570,491 70.6% 21,611,733 will blow up in their face, 11 Formosa Plastics Corp Formosa Utility Venture Limited Texas 689.4 4,045,361 67.0% 59,954,019 but that’s another story.” 12 AEP/GE Sweeny Cogen Facility Texas 572 3,333,407 66.5% 55,849,568 Fundamentally, if a 13 Calpine Lost Pines I Texas 595 3,452,313 66.2% 24,791,909 14 Power Authority of NY State Poletti N. Y. 528 3,054,614 66.0% plant’s a supercritical unit 23,246,246 15 Edison International March Point Cogen Co Wash. 166.8 963,634 65.9% 15,466,186 it can be one of the top 20 16 NRG/Saguaro Power Saguaro Power Co Nev. 127.2 731,615 65.7% 8,248,686 plants ranked by heat rate. 17 Calpine Westbrook Energy Center Maine 563.9 3,219,462 65.2% 22,928,848 See ( Table 5.) Supercritical 18 GE/International Power Oyster Creek Unit VIII Texas 497.9 2,841,702 65.2% 28,950,957 units operate under higher 19 Reliant Energy Channelview LP Texas 918.3 5,229,167 65.0% 65.0% 55,098,997 steam pressures and they’re 20 Xcel Energy Fort St Vrain Colo. 742.6 4,218,479 64.8% 33,216,010
much more efficient than Total Total Avg. Total Of Top 20 Generation 6,376 39,493,552 70.7% 416,278,863 subcritical units. “People like 333 Reporting 211,282 600,142,051 32.4% 5,223,218,402 to say these are old plants, Source: Energy Ventures Analysis (DOE-EIA 906 data; EPA CEMS data) but they are all extremely
efficient. Take Dominion’s Table 8: Top 20 Combined Cycle Plants Ranked by Heat Rate (2006)
Clover plant: it’s as efficient 2006 as a combined cycle plant.” Capacity
In the discussion of Rank Owner Plant State MW climate change, Hewson 1 Mission Energy/Texaco Sunrise Cogeneration & Power Co. Calif. 605 said that the cheapest way 2 Sempra Elk Hills Power Calif. 623 to lower CO emissions is 3 Calpine Goldendale Energy Center Wash. 280 2 4 LS Power Maine Independence Maine 550 to be more efficient. “Some 5 Calpine Rocky Mountain Energy Center Colo. 705 people say we should go to 6 Cogentrix Caledonia Power Project Miss. 801 coal gasification, the IGCC 7 OGE McClain Energy Okla. 489 plants. The IGCC plant that 8 Cogentrix/Avista Lancaster Station Idaho 302 reports, [Tampa Electric’s] 9 Epcor Power Frederickson Power Wash. 318 Polk County unit, is ranked 10 Southern Company Mcintosh Ga. 1,377 No. 319. It actually has 11 US Bank National Assoc. Tiverton Power Associate LP R. I. 273 12 Burbank (City of) Magnolia Power Project Calif. 370 higher CO2 emissions per13 FPLGroup Manatee Fla. 1,104 amount generated than 14 Calpine Ontelaunee Energy Center Pa. 728 the supercritical units.” 15 ArcLight Capital Partners Effingham County Project Ga. 594 To lower CO emissions, 16 AES AES Londonderry Cogen Facility N.H. 900
2 Hewson suggests going to 17 Avista Corp Coyote Springs II Ore. 287 ultrasupercritical technology. 18 K-Gen Power Hot Spring Energy Facility Ark. 715
19 Harbert Management Corp Magnolia Facility Miss. 1,004
For the most part, the 20 PSEG Bethlehem Energy Center N. Y. 893 top 20 units have scrubbers Total and Hewson said plants Of Top 20 Generation 12,917 are even getting cleaner in 342 Reporting 211,362 terms of emissions. “AEP, Source: Energy Ventures Analysis (DOE-EIA 906 data; EPA CEMS data)
2006
Heat Rate
Btu/kWh
14,044
8,742
9,542
11,584
8,042
9,982
6,940
11,376
7,375
13,761
14,820
16,754
7,181
7,610
16,050
11,275
7,122
10,188
10,537
7,874
Avg.
10,718
9,461
2006 2006
Generation Capacity
MWH Factor %
2,892,023 55%
3,456,224 63%
1,031,937 42%
2,187,905 45%
2,899,884 47%
949,500 14%
3,084,116 72%
1,030,644 39%
787,760 28%
5,081,201 42%
873,747 37%
958,473 30%
6,666,032 69%
1,325,478 21%
851,966 16%
3,204,189 41%
1,459,337 58%
1,019,797 16%
1,189,838 14%
2,330,146 30%
Total Avg.
43,280,197 39% 607,492,497 33%
2006 2006
Fuel Burn Heat Rate
MMBtu Btu/kWh
18,251,654 6,311 22,703,974 6,569 7,064,227 6,846 15,100,387 6,902 20,050,931 6,914 6,572,549 6,922 21,405,279 6,940 7,213,182 6,999 5,513,656 6,999 35,657,703 7,018 6,140,403 7,028 6,745,058 7,037 47,042,106 7,057 9,365,516 7,066 6,029,612 7,077 22,678,353 7,078 10,330,433 7,079 7,232,329 7,092 8,447,730 7,100 16,554,717 7,105 Total Avg.
300,099,798 6,934
5,223,218,402 8,598
References:
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