Wallingford Energy Project

This 250-MW peaking power plant is located on the site of an existing 21.5-MW oil-fired steam plant that was decommissioned to produce a cleaner, more efficient facility. We assisted the project owner/developer during the preliminary engineering phase of the project, and subsequently provided full design services as part of an engineer-procure-construct team.

Power is generated at the plant using aero-derivative combustion gas turbine generators. The project as developed on an accelerated design and construction schedule, which was dictated by the need to bring the plant on-line in time to meet summer peak demand.

Environmental considerations played a major role in the plant’s design. Air pollution is minimized by injecting water into the gas turbines' combustors, and by a selective catalytic reduction system on each turbine to treat the exhaust gas. In addition, the existing brownfield site required immediate mitigation and special handling of soil during site excavation. Activities included provisions for site cleanup following the dismantling of the existing oil-fired plant. Because the site frontage is adjacent to a residential area, special measures were put in place to lessen the facility’s visual impact and to reduce noise and air emissions.

Facility improvements included two new 115-kV transmission line interconnects to the existing power grid, as well as extensive upgrades to the Town of Wallingford's switchyard. The peaking plant's new 115-kV substation is inter-tied with the town's substation in a ring bus arrangement so that the town has available a third 115-kV transmission line to bring power into the Wallingford substation.