Bethpage Energy Center

Last updated

Bethpage Energy Center
Bethpage Energy Center
CountryUnited States
Location Bethpage, New York
Coordinates 40°44′47″N73°29′56″W / 40.74639°N 73.49889°W / 40.74639; -73.49889
StatusOperational
Commission date 1989
Owner(s) Calpine
Thermal power station
Primary fuelNatural gas
Power generation
Nameplate capacity 239.6 MW
Annual net output 504.0 GWh

Bethpage Energy Center is a power station in Bethpage, New York, United States, consisting of two combined cycle plants opened in 1989 and 2005, and one gas turbine peaking plant opened in 2002. The original plant was commissioned by Grumman Aerospace for its Bethpage complex because it was deemed more cost-effective than purchasing power from electric utilities. It was acquired by Calpine in 1998, which expanded the facility with two more plants.

Contents

Description

The facility contains three power plants: two combined cycle plants and one gas turbine peaking plant. Taken together, the facility has a nameplate capacity of 239.6 MW and generated net energy of 504.0 GWh in 2020, making it the seventh-largest power generation facility on Long Island by both criteria. [1] It is operated by Calpine, [2] [3] [4] and the electricity generated at the plant is distributed across Long Island via the Long Island Power Authority's electrical transmission network. [5]

The original Bethpage Power Plant contains two General Electric LM2500 gas turbines, two Hollandaise Construction Group heat recovery steam generators, and a General Electric steam turbine. [6] [7] It has a nameplate capacity of 83.6 MW and generated net energy of 185.2 GWh in 2020. [1]

The Bethpage Peaker uses a General Electric LM6000 natural gas-fired combustion turbine. [8] [7] It has a nameplate capacity of 60.0 MW and generated net energy of 103.3 GWh in 2020. [1]

Bethpage Energy Center 3 also uses a GE LM6000 General Electric combustion turbine, and a Siemens Westinghouse steam turbine. [4] [7] [9] It has a nameplate capacity of 96.0 MW and generated net energy of 215.5 GWh in 2020. [1]

History

Original plant

The original Bethpage Power Plant entered commercial operation in August 1989. [2] It was constructed for Grumman Aerospace as a cogeneration plant for its Bethpage facility. Under a 15-year contract, Grumman leased the land to a joint venture of General Electric, Brooklyn Union Gas, and the venture management company J. Makowski Associates; the joint venture constructed and operated the plant, and sold steam and most of its electricity back to Grumman, with the excess electricity being sold to the Long Island Lighting Company (LILCO). [10] [11]

Grumman had previously been purchasing power from the FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant in Upstate New York, but generating the power locally was seen as advantageous due to the local capacity shortage from Long Island's Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant not opening, and limited power connections to the mainland. [12] It was also initially projected to cost 40 percent less than power received through LILCO, in the wake of increasing energy costs from the utility to cover the costs of the Shoreham plant and damage from Hurricane Gloria. [13] [14]

Calpine purchased a 45 percent stake in the plant in 1997 from Brooklyn Union Gas, as part of the latter's divestment from some power generation interests preceding its merger with LILCO. It was Calpine's first venture in the Northeastern United States. [15] In 1998, the remaining stake in the plant was acquired, and an agreement was made to acquire the land from Grumman. [6] The Grumman facility was being closed at the time. [15]

Expansion

The Bethpage Peaker opened in July 2002. [3] It was constructed by Calpine on an expedited four-month construction schedule. [8] It was part of a larger program to build peaking plants around Long Island to avoid the risk of rolling blackouts in the face of increased demands like those experienced in California the previous year, and given the strain on the system from a heat wave in 2001. The turbine was under an 80 MW threshold that would have triggered a full regulatory and environmental review. [16] [17] [18]

In August 2004, the purchase agreement with Grumman expired and was not renewed, and the cogeneration activity at the original plant ceased. [19] [20]

Bethpage Energy Center 3 opened in July 2005. [4] It was part of a solicitation for power generation by the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), LILCO's successor, due to continued high peak demand in subsequent years, [7] [21] as well as the Northeast blackout of 2003 and delays by Connecticut in activating the Cross Sound Cable. [22] This solicitation also resulted in construction of the Caithness Long Island Energy Center; Pinelawn Power Plant in West Babylon, New York; and the Neptune Cable. [21] [23] [24] Most of the land was owned by a private real estate developer; although Calpine had secured a lease from the owner, the New York Power Authority and LIPA decided to acquire the property outright through eminent domain, but the taking was overturned in 2008. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Power station</span> Facility generating electric power

A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peaking power plant</span> Reserved for high demand times

Peaking power plants, also known as peaker plants, and occasionally just "peakers", are power plants that generally run only when there is a high demand, known as peak demand, for electricity. Because they supply power only occasionally, the power supplied commands a much higher price per kilowatt hour than base load power. Peak load power plants are dispatched in combination with base load power plants, which supply a dependable and consistent amount of electricity, to meet the minimum demand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant</span> Decommissioned nuclear power plant in New York

The Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant was a completed General Electric nuclear boiling water reactor located adjacent to Long Island Sound in East Shoreham, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long Island Lighting Company</span>

The Long Island Lighting Company, or LILCO [ "lil-co" ], was an electrical power company and natural gas utility for the communities of Long Island, New York, serving 2.7 million people in Nassau, Suffolk and Queens Counties. LILCO was the power utility for Long Island from 1911 until 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long Island Power Authority</span>

Long Island Power Authority is a municipal subdivision of the State of New York that owns the electric transmission and electric distribution system serving all of Long Island and a portion of New York City known as the Rockaways. LIPA was originally created under the Long Island Power Act of 1985 to acquire the Long Island Lighting Company (LILCO)'s electric and natural gas infrastructure after the cancellation of the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant. LIPA acquired LILCO's transmission system in May 1998, while the remainder of LILCO's natural gas-related infrastructure merged with Brooklyn Union Gas to form KeySpan Energy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capacity factor</span> Electrical production measure

The net capacity factor is the unitless ratio of actual electrical energy output over a given period of time to the theoretical maximum electrical energy output over that period. The theoretical maximum energy output of a given installation is defined as that due to its continuous operation at full nameplate capacity over the relevant period. The capacity factor can be calculated for any electricity producing installation, such as a fuel consuming power plant or one using renewable energy, such as wind or the sun. The average capacity factor can also be defined for any class of such installations, and can be used to compare different types of electricity production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northport Power Station</span>

The Northport Power Station, known as “The Stacks” by locals, the largest power generation facility on Long Island. It is a natural gas and conventional oil electric power generating station located on the North Shore of Long Island in Fort Salonga, New York. The facility was built by the Long Island Lighting Company (LILCO) in stages between 1967 and 1977, and since August 2007 it has been owned and operated by National Grid USA. The plant's electric output is distributed by Long Island Power Authority (LIPA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Croydon power stations</span>

The Croydon power stations refers to a pair of demolished coal-fired power stations and to a gas-fired power station in the Purley Way area of Croydon, London.

The Neptune Cable is a 500kV and 660 MW high-voltage direct current submarine power cable between Sayreville, New Jersey and Levittown, New York on Long Island. It carries 22 percent of Long Island's electricity. It was developed by Anbaric Development Partners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Energy in California</span> Overview of the use of energy in California, U.S.

Energy in California is a major area of the economy of California. California is the state with the largest population and the largest economy in the United States. It is second in energy consumption after Texas. As of 2018, per capita consumption was the fourth-lowest in the United States partially because of the mild climate and energy efficiency programs.

The Russell City Energy Center (RCEC) is a 619-megawatt natural gas-fired power station, which began operating in August 2013. It is operated by Calpine, and is located in Hayward, California. It is named for Russell City and is built on that community's former landfill site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenwood Generating Station</span> Power station in Glenwood Landing, New York, United States

Glenwood Generating Station is a power station in Glenwood Landing, New York owned by National Grid USA. It is mainly known for being the former site of an architecturally significant 1920s brick power station. That building and an adjacent 1950s station were demolished over the course of 2013 to 2015, due to their obsolescence as well as the excessive cost of safely retaining the building given its poor condition. Four smaller gas turbine peaking generators remain in operation, as does the Y-50 Cable connection across Long Island Sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battery storage power station</span> Energy storage system using electrochemical secondary cells

A battery storage power station is a type of energy storage power station that uses a group of batteries to store electrical energy. Battery storage is the fastest responding dispatchable source of power on electric grids, and it is used to stabilise those grids, as battery storage can transition from standby to full power in under a second to deal with grid contingencies.

The Richard M. Flynn Power Plant is a power plant in Holtsville, in Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. It is operated by the New York Power Authority (NYPA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">E. F. Barrett Power Station</span> Power plant on Long Island, New York

The E. F. Barrett Power Station is a power plant in Nassau County, New York, United States. The main plant is in Barnum Island, with outlying facilities in neighboring Island Park and Oceanside. It is operated by National Grid USA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Jefferson Power Station</span> Power plant on Long Island, New York

Port Jefferson Power Station is a fossil-burning power plant in Port Jefferson, New York on Long Island. It is operated by National Grid USA. Its four main steam turbine units were constructed between 1948 and 1960 by the Long Island Lighting Company (LILCO), with the older two decommissioned in 1994.

Caithness Long Island Energy Center is a 350 MW natural gas fired power power plant in Yaphank, New York on Long Island operated by Caithness Energy. It began operation in 2009 as the first major baseload plant to be built on Long Island in over 30 years, and by 2020 produced the second most net energy generated among power plants on Long Island. A proposal to construct a new unit tripling the capacity of the facility received initial approvals in 2013, but did not proceed and was shelved in 2018.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Gold Book: 2021 Load & Capacity Data". New York Independent System Operator. April 1, 2021. pp. 77–99. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Bethpage Power Plant". Calpine. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Bethpage Peaker". Calpine. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 "Bethpage Energy Center 3". Calpine. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  5. "United States - Maps - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)". www.eia.gov. Archived from the original on November 24, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  6. 1 2 "Calpine Corporation Form 10-K". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. March 11, 1998. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Long Island Power Authority Bethpage 3 Energy Center environmental assessment" (PDF). May 26, 2004. pp. 1-1, 1-3, 2-1. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  8. 1 2 "Calpine adds 48 MW to Bethpage, N.Y. natural gas plant". Power Engineering. July 1, 2002. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  9. "Calpine Corp.: $123.1 Million Project Finance Facility for Bethpage Energy Center". Calpine. June 26, 2005. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  10. Howard, Susan (April 1, 1988). "Grumman building cogeneration plant". Newsday. p. 5. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  11. "GE to bring new power plant to life at Grumman" (PDF). Grumman World. February 27, 1987. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  12. "Building new sources to meet LI's power needs". Newsday. February 23, 1987. p. 51. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  13. McDonald, John (November 29, 1985). "Grumman set to construct own generator in Bethpage". Newsday. p. 3. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  14. "Watts up? Grumman opts for private power" (PDF). Grumman World. December 13, 1985. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  15. 1 2 Cox, Matthew (August 26, 1997). "BUG to divest power plants, avoid conflict". Newsday. p. 38. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  16. Gootman, Elissa (October 19, 2001). "Proposed Mini-Plants Are Part Of a Long-Term Energy Plan". The New York Times. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  17. Rather, John (March 17, 2002). "LIPA Is Adding Juice But Is Still Thirsty". The New York Times. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  18. McGinty, Tom (October 19, 2001). "Watts up for LIPA next year". Newsday. p. 55. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  19. "Power Plants". Calpine. December 11, 2004. Archived from the original on December 11, 2004. Retrieved October 17, 2022 via Internet Archive.
  20. "Power Plants". Calpine. March 11, 2005. Archived from the original on March 11, 2005. Retrieved October 17, 2022 via Internet Archive.
  21. 1 2 "$200M LIPA proposal: powerhouse of energy". Newsday. May 27, 2004. pp. 4, 49 . Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  22. Solnik, Claude (September 5, 2003). "LIPA eyes on-Island generation". Long Island Business News. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  23. "2 power plants on LI OKd". Newsday. August 26, 2004. p. 37. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  24. Bleyer, Bill (November 18, 2005). "Dedication ceremony for new power plants". Newsday. p. 58. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  25. "Steel Los III, LP v. Power Authority, 21 Misc. 3d 707". Supreme Court of the State of New York, Nassau County. September 15, 2008. Retrieved October 17, 2022 via Casetext.