Efficiency meets eco-friendliness

LODI, Calif., Aug. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In an opening ceremony on August 10, 2012, Northern California Power Agency (NCPA) officially dedicated the Lodi Energy Center (LEC). The new plant with an installed capacity of 300 megawatts (MW) is located in Lodi, California. For this natural gas-fired plant Siemens SI supplied the SCC6-5000F 1x1 Flex-Plant power island which will enable NCPA to bring the plant to full load in very short time. The Siemens Flex-Plant™ 30 is designed to deliver approximately 200 megawatts (MW) of power to the grid within 30 minutes. With an efficiency of over 57 percent, and low startup emissions, LEC will be one of the cleanest fossil power plants in the U.S.A.

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"NCPA is proud that the Lodi Energy Center is the first generating facility in California to utilize the Siemens Flex-Plant 30 'fast-start' technology. The plant's cutting edge technology will help strengthen electrical system reliability as variable renewable resources continue to be deployed to achieve California's important energy goals," stated James H. Pope, General Manager, Northern California Power Agency during the dedication ceremony.

"Lodi Energy Center will be the first operating Siemens Flex-Plant combined cycle plant in the U.S.A. and will contribute to meeting California's ambitious renewable energy and greenhouse gas reduction goals. This innovative fast ramping gas fired plant was specifically designed by Siemens as a solution to balance fluctuations on diverse power grids managing both renewable and traditional energy sources," said Mario Azar, Head of Gas Turbine Power Plant Solutions Americas in the Fossil Power Generation Division at Siemens Energy. "Its clean footprint and versatility makes it an ideal solution to the growing need for stable and environmentally friendly power sources in the U.S. and around the globe. We are happy to be introducing this groundbreaking technology in partnership with NCPA," Azar added.

The Siemens SCC6-5000F 1x1 Flex-Plant allows for a high level of operating flexibility to react to market opportunities. It is a highly efficient combined cycle plant designed for intermediate to continuous duty that is capable of daily cycling at efficiencies of over 57 percent. Plant startup times are reduced by up to 50 percent due to the integration of fast-start features, including the three-pressure reheat heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) with Benson® once-through technology, high capacity steam attemperation and full capacity steam bypass systems. Other features that contribute to start the plant very fast are innovative piping warm-up strategies, the Siemens' steam turbine stress controller (TSC), a modern water treatment system, and optimized plant stand-by using auxiliary steam to maintain vacuum. Using the Siemens SGT6-5000F gas turbine as the prime mover, the plant will provide high power density while requiring a relatively small plant footprint. The Siemens SPPA-T3000 control system provides an easy-to-use control platform for the entire combined cycle power plant. A Long Term Service Program will help to ensure the reliability and performance of the main components.

High efficiency Flex-Plants are part of Siemens' Environmental Portfolio. In fiscal 2011, revenue from the Portfolio totaled about €30 billion, making Siemens one of the world's largest suppliers of ecofriendly technologies. In the same period, our products and solutions enabled customers to reduce their carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by nearly 320 million tons, an amount equal to the total annual CO₂ emissions of Berlin, Delhi, Hong Kong, Istanbul, London, New York, Singapore and Tokyo.

The Siemens Energy Sector is the world's leading supplier of a complete spectrum of products, services and solutions for power generation in thermal power plants and using renewables, power transmission in grids and for the extraction, processing and transport of oil and gas. In fiscal 2011 (ended September 30), the Energy Sector had revenues of EUR24.9 billion and received new orders totaling approximately EUR31.8 billion and posted a profit of EUR3.9 billion. On October 1, 2011, the Energy Sector had a work force of more than 82,000. Further information is available at: www.siemens.com/energy.

SOURCE Siemens Energy Sector