Newly Repowered Glenarm Power Plant Set to Switch ‘On’ Monday

A vital new power system expected to power Pasadena’s growth over coming decades and reduce the city’s fuel consumption and emissions, lower its carbon footprint, and serve as a backup to renewable energy resources is set to go online next Monday, after the fine-tuning of the new turbine’s emissions delayed a planned earlier launch.

According to a report delivered to the City Municipal Services Committee Tuesday, the long-awaited Glenarm power plant repowering program, which began work in 2014, has now finally been completed and tested by its manufacturer, General Electric, and Pasadena Water and Power (PWP), and is set to go into operation by December 18.

The complex new power system, whose installation fell behind its original completion date of May 2016, will replace a circa-1965 conventional boiler/steam turbine-generating unit with a new combined cycle unit called “GT-5.”

“The GT-5 gas turbine construction is complete and is in the final stages of testing. Air emissions, noise, performance and demonstration testing have been completed. All preliminary results for the testing are satisfactory. The unit is currently undergoing the seven-day reliability test,” said the PWP report, delivered by GT-5 Repowering Project Manager Art Silva.

The delay in completing the project was caused by efforts to meet the strict emissions limits placed on the unit by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), Silva reported. The project budget was increased by City Council in September 2014, from $131.9 million to 136.9 million.

“GT-5 is an important component of our Integrated Resource Plan for power for the next 20 years and it’s also an important component in helping the city meet its goal of reducing green house gas emissions. I’m excited that the project is near completion,” said District 2 Councilmember and Municipal Services Committee Chair Margaret McAustin.
“GT-5 is the first of its kind as an electric generating unit, with the lowest emission limits in the country. Having such a complex project with emission limits never tried before, it is expected to take a few design attempts to get to the finish line. PWP has conducted robust emissions testing to ensure that GT-5 now meets the strict levels required by SCAQMD,” Silva added.

Silva added that the GT-5 project not only brings cleaner energy to the city, it also reduces operating, maintenance, and fuel expenses for the local plant.

“PWP customers will enjoy the benefits of greater reliability and reduced costs while we continue to lower our carbon footprint. The purpose of this project is to maintain electric reliability, meet Pasadena’s energy consumption needs, provide backup power that is ready 24/7, help integrate renewable energy resources such as solar and wind, and guard against potential disruptive energy markets,” said Silva.

The Glenarm Power Plant makes up for the shortages required to meet the community’s electrical needs when PWP experiences electric import limitations, said Silva, who added that the outdated B-3 is no longer cost-effective.

“It (B-3) can take several days to start up and must be operated continuously. GT-5’s greater flexibility will provide extra power on demand and only when needed, reducing fuel costs and emissions while enhancing reliability. The GT-5 unit is fueled by natural gas and has quick-starting capabilities which allow us to start-up the turbine unit within minutes versus days. GT-5 is state of the art; it will be the most efficient and environmentally ‘clean’ unit in its class,” Silva explained.

The new technology will allow the Glenarm Power Plant to have much more flexibility in generating power than ever before, Silva reported.

“PWP can now integrate more intermittent renewable sources like solar and wind power with GT-5 acting as a stable source of backup power when needed,” said Silva.

General Electric announced in November that the system was ready for testing, which began on December 1. Among the results were compliant CO, NOx, and Ammonia emissions, and a passing grade on noise limits. According to Tuesday’s update report, “preliminary results indicate the unit is in compliance with air quality permit limits.”

The GE report did note, however, that some areas within the plant would need to be labeled as “hearing protection required.”

The Glenarm power plant sits on a 14-acre site in the southwestern portion of the City, at the end of the Arroyo Seco Parkway. The site consists of two groups of generating facilities bisected by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Gold Line tracks: the Glenarm Plant to the west of the Gold Line and the Broadway Plant to the east.

The Glenarm project is a key component of the 2009/2012 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) that was adopted by city officials in 2009 as a blueprint for the Pasadena Department of Water and Power (PWP) to ensure “reliable, environmentally responsible electricity service, competitive rates and energy independence” through 2030.

To date, GE has been billed $3 million by the City for liquidated damages associated with late substantial completion. GE and the City still disagree as to when access days begin, according to the memorandum.