Midland Gas-Fueled Cogeneration Power Plant Refurbishment

Historic Project: Groundbreaking Work From Earlier in Fluor’s History

Client: Midland Cogeneration Venture

Location: Midland, MI, U.S.

Business Segment: Energy Solutions

Industry: Power

Map showing the location of Midland Gas-Fueled Cogeneration Power Plant Refurbishment

Executive Summary

Fluor converted the unfinished Midland Nuclear Power Plant to a combined-cycle, natural-gas-fired cogeneration facility.

Completed in 1991, the job was the first of its kind and the largest cogeneration project executed in the United States.

We were responsible for engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning and assistance in training and operating.

Client's Challenge

The facility consisted of 12 gas turbines, each having its own heat recovery steam generator and stack. The steam was to be collected by the header and supplied to either of two existing steam turbines. Extraction steam was to be provided as required to the adjacent Dow Chemical plant.

The gas turbines generated a nominal 1,035 MW, and the steam turbines added approximately 335 MW. Steam was to be extracted for Dow process heat at an annual average of 629,000 pounds per hour.

Fluor's Solution

Fluor was responsible for engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning and assistance in training and operating. Particular care was taken in the plant design to enable the steam to be available in appropriate quantities to the adjacent Dow facility.

The gas turbines generated a nominal 1,035 megawatts of electricity, and the steam turbines added approximately 335 megawatts. Steam was extracted for Dow process heat at an annual average of 629,000 pounds per hour. In addition, two electric transmission lines supplied up to 100 megawatts to Dow.

Conclusion

The plant operated by a state-of-the-art distributed control system that optimized plant efficiency and met Dow's steam requirements, as well as the needs of the electrical grid.

The facility was completed in 1991.

Today, the Midland Cogeneration Venture plant is one of the largest gas fired cogeneration projects in the United States. It is capable of producing up to 1,560 megawatts of electricity and up to 1.35 million pounds per hour of process steam for industrial use. Its capacity represents approximately 10% of the power consumption for Michigan's Lower Peninsula.