Gemma Power Systems has received full notice to proceed to start construction on a 475MW natural gas-fired power plant in Kings Mountain, North Carolina.The company has secured an EPC services contract from NTE Energy affiliate NTE Carolinas for the project, which is expected to be completed in the second half of 2018.The facility will incorporate an advanced Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas M501GAC combustion turbine generator, a Vogt Power International supplementary-fired heat recovery steam generator, along with a Toshiba America Energy Systems steam turbine generator.The power generated by the plant will be sold to nine municipal and state owned utilities in North Carolina and South Carolina, under individual long-term power sale agreements. The project is being funded by a group of nine financial institutions, led by ING Capital and MUFG Union Bank, which offered $387m in various senior secured credit facilities. Capital Dynamics and Wattage Finance-NC, LLC is providing $218m in equity commitments for the project.
Aecom Capital and FFP New Hydro have formed a new partnership to develop and build six hydropower projects on the Muskingum River in southeastern Ohio.The six projects, developed by the Muskingum River Hydro partnership, are expected to produce a total of 23MW, which is sufficient to power 11,500 households. The projects will entail an investment of over $100m.Four of these projects have already secured Federal Energy Regulatory Commission licenses. The low-impact generation facilities will be added to existing lock and dam structures, which are owned and operated by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.The projects are anticipated to commence construction in 2017 and will be operational by 2018. Each project is anticipated to create 100 to 150 jobs during the construction phase, and continued staffing and service employment during operations.Aecom Capital CEO John Livingston said: “Muskingum River Hydro LLC represents an attractive opportunity for Aecom Capital to strengthen our commitment to clean energy projects and invest and develop in new hydropower on existing dams alongside the industry leading team of investors and developers at FFP New Hydro.”
ONEOK Partners has completed the first phase of the Roadrunner Gas Transmission pipeline project in West Texas, US.
Duke Energy Progress has secured approval from the North Carolina Utilities Commission to build two 280MW combined cycle natural gas-fuelled electric generating units in Asheville, North Carolina.
Power and automation technology group ABB has secured a contract worth about $130m from Great River Energy to upgrade a high-voltage direct current connection (HVDC) transmission system in the US.
Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) has broken ground on three new solar power plants in Florida.