Calpine needed to convert a combustion turbine at the Fore River plant into a black start resource to ensure reliable energy to customers served by the ISO New England grid.
The solution required the addition of two diesel generators (4-MW Caterpillar C175) to provide the power and capability necessary to convert one of Fore River Energy Center’s Mitsubishi 501G combustion turbines into a black start resource. We assisted with a special permit application (required by the plant’s industrialized location) and developed the associated permit drawings for submittal to the town so the project could start on time.
We quickly re-designed all foundations and electrical raceways to avoid extensive below-grace legacy foundations found during initial construction at the Fore River plant — and finish the project on time. To support islanding operation for the designated black start combustion turbine, we modified the 6.9-kV switchgear control schemes to enable the new diesel generators to energize both medium and low voltage distribution systems. Additionally, we collaborated with Calpine and the power island supplier to install new equipment that could energize the excitation system from a 480V source when grid power is unavailable.
The strategically positioned generators are used to assist in bringing the ISO New England system back online in the event of a large system outage.
