Orion Power MidWest to repower Brunot Island Power Plant

Orion Power MidWest, a subsidiary of Orion Power Holdings, announced that it is proceeding with plans to repower the Brunot Island Power Plant, located on the Ohio River two miles from downtown Pittsburgh. The repowering will convert Brunot Island to an efficient, environmentally preferred combined cycle power plant fuelled with natural gas.
"This project is the first step in our ongoing efforts to identify the most effective means to improve the environmental performance and efficiency of our power plants, and to reduce the cost for supplying electricity to this region," explained Dan McIntire, general manager, Orion Power MidWest.
Brunot Island is a six-unit, oil-fired, simple cycle peaking facility, which began operation in 1972. It has a net demonstrated capacity of 234 MW. Orion Power MidWest will upgrade three of the simple cycle units to combined cycle technology. The upgrade will include the installation of new Heat Recovery Steam Generators, restoration of an existing steam turbineand generator, conversion from oil fuel to clean natural gas, and the installation of catalytic conversion equipment to minimise nitrogen oxide air emissions. These modifications will add approximately 145,000 kW of electric generating capacity, while improving unit efficiency.

Orion Power MidWest filed the first in a series of permits with the Allegheny County Health Department. The repowered plant is designed to meet all federal, state and local regulations for air emissions.
"This project will ensure a reliable and efficient source of power for Pittsburgh," McIntire added. "In addition, with the installation of state-of- the-art pollution control equipment, the units will reduce potential air emissions -- principally sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides -- by approximately 80 %." Orion Power expects to begin construction in November 2000, with full commercial operation beginning in 2002. The units will continue to operate as simple cycle peaking units until then to assure a reliable power supply to Pittsburgh.

Orion Power Holdings, headquartered in Baltimore, was formed in March 1998 to acquire, develop, own and operate power-generating facilities throughout the United States and Canada. Since its inception, Orion Power Holdings, has emerged as one of the premier independent power producers in the nation, with more than $ 3 bn invested in 82 power plants with a total capacity of 5,227 MW.