Siemens and Panda Power Funds celebrated the commissioning of the Panda Liberty Power Project in Bradford County, Pennsylvania – an 829 megawatt (MW) natural gas-fueled power plant featuring Siemens advanced H-class gas turbines. Harnessing Marcellus Shale gas, “Liberty” is the first of two new Panda Power Funds generating stations to be commissioned in Pennsylvania this fall, with the Patriot Power Project in Clinton Township set to be dedicated in November. Combined, the two projects will be able to supply power for about two million households in large regional power markets, including Pennsylvania.
For “Liberty” and “Patriot,” Siemens’ scope of supply features advanced power generation technology, financing, and long-term service. The single shaft power plant blocks include two SGT6-8000H gas turbines, two SST6-5000 steam turbines, two hydrogen-cooled SGen6-2000H generators, and two heat recovery steam generators, along with the control system SPPA-T3000. The gas turbines and generators were manufactured at Siemens’ Charlotte Energy Hub, the global base for the company’s 60 Hz power generating equipment.
Siemens will provide maintenance and service for the main components associated with the gas turbine under a long-term service program. Parts, inspections, and scheduled service/maintenance, along with Siemens’ Power Diagnostics™ remote monitoring and diagnostics, are included in the comprehensive service agreement. For “Liberty,” Siemens Financial Services provided financing to aid in the project’s construction through a $50 million term loan.
“The commissioning of this highly-efficient power plant marks another milestone in our successful relationship with Panda Power Funds. This project demonstrates the full spectrum of Siemens’ portfolio, from our leading edge H-class technology, to financing, to service and maintenance,” said Martin Tartibi, Senior Executive Vice President, Energy Solutions Americas, Siemens Power and Gas. “As America continues to turn to cleaner-burning natural gas, we are proud that our world-class power generation technology can provide affordable, efficient and reliable power to about one million households – using the latest, most advanced emissions-control technology.”
“Designed to harness gas from the Marcellus Shale, this state of the art power plant represents the next chapter in Pennsylvania’s energy renaissance,” said Todd Carter, Chief Executive Officer of Panda Power Funds. “Working with Siemens over the last several years has proven they ‘walk the talk’ with their customer service and technological innovation, helping to bring online a world-class power asset in the Keystone State. We are very pleased to reach another important milestone in our collaboration with Siemens.”
The H-class technology in a single-shaft configuration, used in the “Liberty” and “Patriot” power stations, means that both the gas turbine and steam turbine are arranged on one shaft and drive the same generator. This design offers economic advantages as a result of low investment costs, excellent efficiency and a high degree of flexibility during operation.
The “Liberty” power project is one of seven for Siemens and Panda Power Funds in the United States, totaling over 5,800 MW. In addition to selecting Siemens to supply three Flex-Plants in Texas, Panda Power Funds chose Siemens to deliver three CCPPs in Pennsylvania – including “Liberty” and “Patriot” – and one CCPP in Virginia.
