1050 MW Pennsylvania Plant Now Running

Competitive Power Ventures (CPV) and its partner Osaka Gas said that the US$1 billion, 1050 MW CPV Fairview Energy Center (CPV Fairview) near Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA has achieved full commercial operation.

The plant is now supplying natural gas and ethane-fueled combined-cycle electric power to more than one million Pennsylvania homes and businesses.

CPV Fairview utilizes two GE 7HA.02 gas turbines, a steam turbine, generators and additional controls equipment. GE’s HA technology is capable of delivering full power to the grid in 60 minutes or less. HA technology also provides cleaner, more reliable and more sustainable power to customers. Through these innovations, CPV Fairview has become singularly unique among similar power plants: it is fueled by a mix of natural gas and ethane.

“CPV’s state-of-the-art Fairview Energy Center is a testament to what is possible when great partners come together to execute a critically important project,” said Scott Strazik, CEO of GE’s Gas Power business. “We are proud that GE’s world-class HA gas turbine technology is the heart of this project, providing highly efficient, reliable, and flexible electricity at a level equivalent to the electricity needs of more than one million Pennsylvania homes.”

Located on an 86-acre former brownfield site, remediated and cleaned up by Neumeyer Environmental Services, CPV Fairview uses regionally sourced natural gas and ethane. It utilizes industrial raw water from the Cambria Somerset Authority (CSA) for non-contact cooling purposes, which will be returned to CSA as reclaimed water for further potential industrial use as part of CPV’s commitment to conserving natural resources.

By deploying technologies that are more than twice as efficient as those in place decades ago, CPV said it and its partners are helping generate significantly more power using a fraction of the fuel and significantly reducing emissions. CPV Fairview provides increased electric reliability for Pennsylvania and complements wind and solar energy, which are dependent upon the variability of winds and weather.

“Thanks to the outstanding team effort with our partner Osaka Gas USA and Kiewit our construction contractor, with General Electric as major equipment supplier, the CPV Fairview Energy Center is now fully operational on budget and significantly ahead of schedule,” said CPV CEO Gary Lambert. “CPV continues to make strides toward modernizing the country’s electric generation supply and improving reliability while addressing sustainability concerns by lowering systemwide emissions, including carbon, by deploying the most efficient technology with the cleanest fuel available – natural gas.”