Oklahoma’s Grand River Dam Authority recently inked a deal to acquire another large advanced class gas turbine from Mitsubishi Power to continue supplying electricity for the region. In doing so, the Authority will replace its last coal-fired unit at its energy center in Choteau.
A formal signing ceremony featured representatives from the Authority and Mitsubishi Power. The acquisition will be of the first M501JAC gas turbine to operate in simple cycle in the U.S. Neither of the parties offered any details regarding the cost of the replacement turbine.
Mitsubishi Power, in a press release, said the turbine will provide operational flexibility and fast start-up times to meet the needs of the GRDA’s evolving electricity grid.
Unit 4 will replace the last remaining coal-fired unit at the Grand River Energy Center in Chouteau and marks the market shift toward use of advanced-class gas turbines.
This is the second project the GRDA has awarded to Mitsubishi Power for its Grand River Energy Center in the last 10 years and builds on the long-term relationship between the two companies. The first-ever J-series advanced gas turbine to operate in the U.S. is located at the Center’s Unit 3 project, a 500-megawatt (MW) gas turbine combined cycle (GTCC) power station that began operations in 2017, setting a new standard for efficiency and reliability.
The signing ceremony for Unit 4 was held October 2, 2023, at the Energy Center where it was also announced that construction on the project is slated to begin in January 2024, with the unit expected to be operational by April 2026. Both agreements also include the performance of long-term service and maintenance, replacement parts supply, and remote monitoring of the units.
The M501JAC enhanced air-cooled gas turbine for Unit 4 will replace the Energy Center’s Unit 2, a 492-megawatt coal-fired generator that came online in 1985.
Mitsubishi said that retiring the aging and less efficient coal-fired plants and replacing them with cleaner natural gas-fired units will result in emissions reduction and help to meet efficiency goals, providing a long-term resource for affordable and reliable power. The Unit 4 gas turbine is also hydrogen-capable and can be adapted in the future to operate on a blend or 100% hydrogen.
Bill Newsom, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Power Americas, said, “By replacing its coal-fired units with our advanced J-Class gas turbines, including Unit 4’s hydrogen-capable turbine, GRDA is demonstrating its continuing commitment to cleaner, more flexible and reliable energy production. Our long-term relationship with GRDA was born out of mutual trust and confidence cultivated over nearly a decade. We look forward to continuing our commitment to providing high-quality technology and services to the GRDA.”
“We are excited about this historic investment to enhance our generation portfolio at GRDA.” Said Dan Sullivan, CEO, GRDA. “Our long, proven history with Mitsubishi Power, and the strong partnership we have built over the past decade, allows us to invest in world-class power generation and help GRDA continue to meet the growing demands of providing affordable and reliable energy to our customers.”
