Navasota Energy社がテキサスで合計1.6GWのガス火力発電施設を建設へ

ガス火力発電

テキサス州は、風力発電施設の設置では全米でダントツ(11GW)であるが、反面自然任せのため、風が吹かない際のバックアップを用意しなければいけない。
こういう「再生可能エネルギー発電が落ちたとき」や「需要が急に増えたとき」の為の発電施設を「peaker」と呼び、ここ数年急速に増えて来ている。
この記事の内容を簡単に纏めると、

  • 設置発電業者　　　　　　　　Navasota Energy
  • 1基あたりの発電量　　　　181 MW / 基
  • 1箇所あたりのタービン数　x 3基
  • 1箇所あたりの発電量　　　181 MW x 3 = 543 MW
  • 設置箇所　　　　　　　　　下記の3ヵ所
    • Union Valley station (Wilson County : San Antonioの東部)
    • Clear Springs station (Guadalupe County : San Antonioの東部)
    • Van Alstyne station (Grayson County : Dallasの北部)
  • 合計の発電量　　　1.6 GW (=543 MW x 3 = 1,629 MW)
  • 稼働開始時期　　　2017年春

風力発電設置量(11GW)の10%以上のpeakerを一気に用意する事になる。
テキサス州の風力発電施設の多くは西部の風況の良い砂漠地帯に設置されているが、これらのpeakerは東部の産業・商業地域のそばに設置される。

なお、ERCOT管内の過去の最大ピークデマンドは、2011年8月3日に記録した68 GWであり、ERCOTが持つ発電設置量は74 GWである。

  • Navasota Energy plans to build three 543-MW peaking stations in two Electric Reliability Council of Texas zones by the spring of 2017 to keep pace with rising demand and the increasing need to balance renewable generation, the company's president said Wednesday.
  • Dan Hudson said the variable output of Texas' wind farms, the capacity of which now tops 12,000 MW, requires an increasing amount of flexible, quick-start peaking capacity.
  • The peaking projects planned by Navasota include the proposed Union Valley station in Wilson County, the Clear Springs station in Guadalupe County and the Van Alstyne station in Grayson County.
  • The Union Valley and Clear Springs projects are east of San Antonio in ERCOT's South Zone, and the Van Alstyne project is north of Dallas in the North Zone.
  • Megawatt Daily provides detailed coverage of power prices in major US and Canadian electricity markets, up-to-date information about solicitations and supply deals, and information about complex state and federal power regulations.
  • Hudson said each of the three facilities will consist of three 181-MW combustion turbines and that Navasota plans to build all three units at the same time. Each of the three sites would have 543 MW of peaking capacity available by mid-2017, a total of 1,629 MW.
  • The Capacity, Demand and Reserves report that ERCOT issued on May 1 forecasts a 14.3% reserve margin for summer 2015, followed by projected reserve margins of 14.1% in summer 2016, 13.8% in summer 2017, 12.3% in summer 2018 and 9.8% in summer 2019.
  • ERCOT seeks to maintain a reserve margin of at least 13.75%.