January / February 2009 - Nebraska Public Power District

12 ENERGY INSIGHT • jaNuaRY / fEbRuaRY 2009
ENERGY INSIGHT • jaNuaRY / fEbRuaRY 2009 13
Water discharge project to begin in february
The most visible portion of NPPD’s Sheldon
Station Water Discharge Project is scheduled
to begin in February, according to Scott Estvold,
project manager. The 10-mile long water discharge
line construction is expected to be
complete in July, with the entire
project slated to be finished in 2010.
The pipeline is just one
portion of the project, on-site
modifications is another. On-site
modifications involve the plant’s
drain piping systems and developing
pond treatment facilities that
will condition the water before
discharging through the new pipeline
from Sheldon Station into the Big
Blue River.
This project was necessitated
when the Nebraska Department
of Environmental Quality issued NPPD a revised
water discharge permit that included more stringent
standards than previously required. In order to
meet the new permit requirements, modifications to
Sheldon Station’s entire water treatment and discharge
system must be made. The new system will provide
control of water discharge from the facility, according
to Joe Citta, NPPD environmental manager.
NEW PERMIT
REQuIRES
MODIfICaTIONS
TO SHELDON
STaTION’S
ENTIRE WaTER
TREaTMENT
aND DISCHaRGE
SYSTEM.
“What will happen is that we will have a new
system with lined ponds that will treat runoff water
individually from coal piles and several plant
processes before being discharged,” Citta explained.
“Water that comes from the discharge
pipeline to the Big Blue River will meet
all discharge standards that have been
established.” Design of the on-site process
and the pipeline has been approved by the
NDEQ and construction permits have been
issued.
Estvold explained that the schedule is
subject to change based on weather or other
uncontrollable factors. He also noted that
two public events have been held regarding
the project, one an informational meeting
in March 2007 and the second was a formal
public hearing on the line selection route,
held in October 2007.
Construction work on the pipeline will be handled
by Kissick Construction Company of Kansas City,
Mo.
Sheldon Station is an important facility in NPPD’s
energy supply fleet. Two units collectively generate
225 megawatts of electricity, which is enough to meet
the needs of nearly 105,500 residents each year. The
facility has been in commercial operation since 1961.
Gerald Gentleman Station sets generation records
Records are made to be broken. And that is
exactly what happened in 2008 for Gerald
Gentleman Station.
On Dec. 30, 2008, at approximately 11 p.m., the
station broke its five-year old electric generation
record and completed the year
generating a total of 9,830,577
megawatt-hours. This mark
exceeded the previous record of
9,782,517 MWh recorded in 2003.
Reasons for the increase in
generation include electrical
load growth and customer usage
during one of the coldest winters
in recent years. The result is a
generation record for the station
itself, as well as the highest annual
generation record for all NPPD
facilities in the state.
GGS is one of three
“baseload” generation facilities NPPD relies
upon to provide power for its retail and wholesale
customers throughout Nebraska. The station serves
approximately half of NPPD’s customer base and is
the utility’s largest generating facility.
IN DECEMbER, GGS
SuRPaSSED ITS fIVE-
YEaR OLD ELECTRIC
GENERaTION
RECORD. THE
STaTION GENERaTED
9,830,577 MEGaWaTT-
HOuRS IN 2008.
“The station personnel have a done a great job
over the years, in operating the units conservatively
and keeping the facility well maintained; this put us
in a good position to set a new generation mark,” said
Mick Spencer, GGS manager. “While our goal is to
keep the GGS units performing
well in the long term, the record is
a nice bonus, and it speaks to the
importance of maintaining the value
of a key asset to NPPD’s generation
system.”
GGS has two operating
units, each is able to generate
approximately 650 megawatts of
electricity. Unit 2 exceeded its
previous generation record for the
year recording 5,399,171 MWh in
2008, topping the previous best of
5,062,981 MWh recorded in 2006.
Located near Sutherland, GGS
has consistently been recognized as one of the lowest
cost, coal-fired generating stations in the nation. Unit 1
began operation in 1979 and Unit 2 in 1982.