Kinder Morgan plans 550 MW plant
Kinder Morgan Power, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kinder Morgan (KMI), plans to build a 550 MW power plant in Jackson, MI. The company obtained all necessary regulatory permits and approvals, and construction on the US$250 million natural gas-fired plant should start this month, said Richard D. Kinder, KMI's chairman and CEO.
Kinder Morgan Power expects the plant to start producing power in June 2002.
"The natural gas-fired generating station in Jackson is the second in a series of electric power plants that KMI plans to build using our proprietary Orion configuration to help meet the nation's growing demand for electricity," Kinder said. "Michigan is experiencing a shortage of power, and the electricity generated by this plant should help improve that situation. In addition to generating more power, the location of the plant should help relieve some of the pressure on the electric transmission grid in Michigan."
Electricity demand has grown by about 35% in Michigan during the past decade, but no additional power plants have been built. Michigan imports a significant amount of electricity from other states, a practice that has become increasingly difficult to rely upon.
"The Jackson plant will typically operate during intermediate- and peak-demand periods, from about 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., to provide wholesale electricity to electric utilities and power marketing companies," said Anthony Lannie, president of Kinder Morgan Power. "The beauty of the Orion technology is that these plants can be started and stopped quickly at a nominal cost, which will allow us to respond rapidly to changes in the marketplace."
The Orion plants combine the operational flexibility and responsiveness of a simple-cycle peaking plant with the fuel efficiency of combined-cycle technology. The Orion projects use gas and steam turbine generator sets and auxiliary equipment provided through a previously signed agreement with S&S Energy Products, a GE Power Systems business, Lannie said.
Kinder Morgan Power also recently started construction on a 550 MW plant near Little Rock, AR, a joint venture between KMI and a unit of Southern Company.
"When construction begins on the Jackson plant in August, we will have 1,100 MW under construction, and we are aggressively pursuing a number of other sites across the country," Lannie said.
KMI ranks as one of the nation's largest midstream energy companies, operating more than 30,000 miles of natural gas and products pipelines in 26 states. It also has significant retail distribution, electric generation and terminal assets.
Edited by April C. Murelio
Managing Editor, Power Online