By Adam Tucker, GE Gas Power, and Josh Martincic, Long Ridge Energy
Long Ridge Energy Terminal began commercial operation in October 2021 in the scenic town of Hannibal, Ohio with ambitions of being a forward-looking and innovation addition to the power grid. Recently, the plant conducted a successful demonstration using a hydrogen-blended fuel in GE’s HA gas turbine at Long Ridge’s 485-megawatt combined-cycle power plant. The hydrogen blending test was completed on March 30 of this year at the facility using hydrogen produced as by-product from a nearby industrial facility.
GE and Long Ridge Energy, which is a subsidiary unit of Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors and an affiliate managed by GCM Grosvenor, see this as a successful first step to transition Long Ridge’s power plant toward carbon-free hydrogen.
PROJECT IN BRIEF
Demonstration signifies first time a GE H-Class “utility-scale” gas turbine is utilizing hydrogen in a commercially operating power plant worldwide.
Project is major step in Long Ridge Energy Terminal’s plans to generate carbon-free electricity by transitioning their natural gas plant to run on hydrogen over time
Project achieved the successful start of commercial operation in 2021 and demonstrated hydrogen fuel blending successfully in March 2022
A PROFOUND ACHIEVEMENT
“This is a profound achievement for Long Ridge Energy Terminal, GE, and the entire power generation industry. Our Hannibal power plant is the first GE H-class plant worldwide in commercial operation to blend hydrogen successfully and we will continue to work with GE to lead the deployment of utility-scale hydrogen solutions and sustainable energy storage,” says Bo Wholey, president of Long Ridge Energy Terminal.
“We are focused on delivering low-carbon, reliable, and cost-effective energy to our customers including local data centers and technology companies. Data centers represent one of the many industries that can benefit from hydrogen-fueled power generation and—supported by GE’s advanced gas turbine—we are committed to meeting these needs.”
THE CARBON-FREE TRANSITION BEGINS
The plant is powered by a GE 7HA.02 gas turbine, which can burn between 15 to 20 percent hydrogen by volume in the gas stream initially and is expected to have the capability to utilize up to 100 percent hydrogen over time. For the demonstration, GE provided an integrated system—GE’s H2 Integrated Fuel Blending System—to allow an initial blending of 5 percent hydrogen by volume and natural gas to demonstrate the capability. The blended fuel was injected to the combustion system of the gas turbine, and further upgrades will allow the power plant to utilize higher percentages of hydrogen subject to fuel availability and economics.
“Gas turbines—whether new or retrofitted—can help the power generation industry reduce its carbon emissions this decade by blending hydrogen with natural gas, and this first-of-its-kind demonstration in a H-Class “utility-scale” gas turbine is a major milestone for GE’s and the industry’s journey towards lower-carbon power generation,” says Scott Strazik, CEO of GE’s Global Energy Business Portfolio.
“This milestone is built on a great legacy of hydrogen fuels experience across GE’s non-HA gas turbine fleets where GE has more than eight million operating hours burning hydrogen or similar low-carbon fuels. We are pleased to collaborate with Long Ridge to demonstrate pre-combustion decarbonization is something we can and must pursue today, even on GE’s largest utility scale HA gas turbines, to demonstrate that gas generation can be a destination technology in the energy transition.”
THE FUTURE AWAITS
The facility plans to produce hydrogen onsite and is considering the use of below-ground salt formations for large-scale hydrogen storage. In this way, the plant will be able to support a balanced and diverse power generation portfolio in the future and leverage an overall energy storage capability ranging from accommodating seasonal fluctuations related to renewable power to cost effective, dispatchable intermediate, and baseload power.
PARTNER PROFILE
Long Ridge Energy
The Long Ridge Energy Terminal is the Appalachian Basin’s leading multimodal energy terminal with a 485-megawatt power plant, nearly 300 acres of flat land, two barge docks on the Ohio River, a unit-train-capable loop track and direct access to Ohio Route 7. Long Ridge is owned by a subsidiary of Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC and an affiliate managed by GCM Grosvenor.
For more information, visit www.longridgeenergy.com.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
GE Gas Power is a world leader in natural gas power technology, services, and solutions. Through relentless innovation and continuous collaboration with our customers, the company is providing more advanced, cleaner, and efficient power that people depend on today and building the energy technologies of the future. With the world’s largest installed base of gas turbines and more than 670 million operating hours across GE’s installed fleet, GE Gas Power offers advanced technology and a level of experience that’s unmatched in the industry to build, operate, and maintain leading gas power plants. For more information, visit www.ge.com/power/gas.
MODERN PUMPING TODAY, July 2022
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