Commissioning of Marcellus Shale 829 MW power plant starts

The Liberty power station, located in Bradford County, is to supply electricity to up to one million households, Panda Power Funds said in a statement October 27.

The commissioning of the gas-fired plant “is part of a national trend away from coal-fired to natural gas-fueled generation” the company said, adding that “the discovery of massive deposits of natural gas in shale basins such as the Marcellus has driven down the price, and price volatility, of natural gas.”
“At the same time, the implementation of strict air emission standards has driven up the cost of environmental compliance for competing coal-fired generation” leading to much of the US's 350,000 MW of coal-fired generation being at risk of early retirement.

Furthermore, the Liberty plant will utilise the latest emissions-control technology “making it one of the cleanest natural gas-fueled power plants in the nation” it said, adding that unlike some 95% of power plants in the US, the Liberty is cooled with air rather than water, thus reducing environmental risks.

The new plant also utilises Siemens H-class gas turbines, designed to achieve operating efficiencies of 60 percent.
The generating facility is consequently expected to displace generation from coal-fired power plants which are much less efficient and environmentally friendly, leading to a reduction by 60% in carbon dioxide emissions.
Moreover, SO2 and NOX emissions will also be reduced by more than 90 percent, and mercury emissions will be virtually eliminated when compared to a plant fueled by coal.

Panda Power Funds has also built a “sister” generating facility, the 829 MW Patriot combined-cycle power plant outside of Williamsport which entered commercial service approximately two months after the Liberty plant. It is also building the 1,124 MW Hummel Station plant, in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, which is one of the largest coal to natural gas power replacement projects in the country, it said.