Getting on the grid

Jun 24 - Stillwater NewsPress (OK)

 

The $70-million project is part of an agreement with the Grand River Dam Authority , the city's wholesale power supplier. Having the ability to generate its own electricity makes the city eligible for capacity payments from GRDA that utilities authority Director Dan Blankenship has said will cover payments on the construction financing.

Once the new power plant is up and running at the corner of Airport and Jardot roads , the old Boomer Lake Power Station will be decommissioned, Blankenship said. The city hasn't decided what to do with it yet.

The new plant will be powered by custom-made, gas fired generators that are being built on the coast of Italy .

"They don't even buy the materials until you order them," Blankenship said. "You can't go to the hardware store and buy one of these things."

They weigh 280 tons each, he said, and will have to be shipped by rail in pieces to a point near the construction site then offloaded.

Construction has begun on the new plant's utility infrastructure and the city expects to hold a groundbreaking ceremony in July.

Blankenship said the project is on-target to be done and ready for commercial operation by June 30, 2016 .

In March, Generation and Transmission Division Manager Loren Smith told Utility Authority trustees the project was $4.4 million under budget with about one-fourth of the bids awarded.

The city of Stillwater is saving money by acting as the general contractor, Blankenship said. The total project will cost about $70 million .

By the numbers: Number of gas-fired 25,000 horse power engines -- 3, Weight of each engine -- 280 tons, Plant Output -- 56 megawatts, Number of light bulbs it could power -- 933,926

Twitter: @mcharlesNP

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