Gas plants plan for power

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on July 27, 2022.

https://www.medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews

A new power plant at the Empress natural gas straddle plant owned by Pembina Pipelines will join the Alberta grid supply mix on Wednesday, regulators have announced.

The 47-megawatt natural gas co-generation plant was announced in 2019, then delayed but then re-approved as energy prices fluctuated wildly in 2020. Ground was broken on the $120-million project in May 2021 and is now in the final stages of commissioning.

Pembina stated the General Electric LM6000 turbine will supply 90 per cent of the facility’s own needs and recover waste heat for reuse, thereby eliminating 88,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

Another major gas pipeline company at Empress, Plains Mid-Stream Canada, announced earlier this month that it plans to add battery storage capacity at its Sarnia, Ont. fractionation and liquids facility.

There was no cost estimate published by the company, with plans to enroll in that province’s Independent Electricity System Operators’ demand response program.

The 10-megawatt hour battery could be operating in 2023, the company said.

[This article has been edited to correct a spelling mistake.]

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