GE Secures LTSA with ATCO Power for Two Canadian Plants

GE Aeroderivative and Package Services (GEAPS) secured two separate long-term service agreements (LTSA) with ATCO Power for two GE LM6000 aeroderivative gas turbines at two power plants in Canada. Financial details of the deal weren't disclosed.

The LM6000PD and LM6000PC gas turbines are located at ATCO Power's 43 MW Poplar Hill and Rainbow Lake power plants, respectively. ATCO Power is an international independent power producer and the non-regulated entity of ATCO Ltd., based in Alberta, Canada.

The agreement at the Poplar Hill power plant covers a 13-year period or 50,000 fired hours whichever occurs first, while the Rainbow Lake agreement covers ten years or 50,000 fired hours.

GEAPS will provide planned and unplanned maintenance for the two LM6000 gas turbines. Included will be hot section and combustor exchanges that can be performed on site, as well as on-site maintenance and overhaul services to be handled as necessary at GEAPS' depot in Houston.

The gas turbine at the Poplar Hill site is the first LM6000 to be operated as a synchronous condenser, which is used to correct lower power factors and to provide a source of leading or lagging reactive current. The Poplar Hill power plant is located near a load center, and operates 50% of the time in power generation mode and 50% in synchronous condenser service. Electricity generated at both of these simple cycle power plants is sold to the deregulated Alberta grid.

ATCO Power also owns and operates these power plants that use GE equipment: two power plants in the United Kingdom—one LM1600-based at the Heathrow cogeneration plant, Heathrow Airport and five Frame 9E gas turbines in combined cycle configuration at the 1,000-megawatt Barking River power plant—a GE Frame 7EA at the Primrose cogeneration plant in Canada; and a Frame 9EA and a GE steam turbine at the Osborne cogeneration plant in Australia.

Edited by April C. Murelio
editor@poweronline.com