IEC earned an Owner’s Engineering contract with Turlock Irrigation District for the Almond 2 Power Plant Expansion. IEC’s broad responsibilities included project engineering, owner’s engineering, and technical expert support. The initial scope of work entailed preparing preliminary power plant layout options for various power plant configurations on a three acre parcel adjacent to the existing Almond Power Plant in Turlock, California.
Preliminary Engineering & Cost Estimate: IEC developed six (6) preliminary site plan options for 50MW, 100MW, 150MW and 200MW power plant scenarios. IEC used various combinations of gas turbines including GE LMS100 and GE LM6000 units and presented the TID with six cases and layouts for varying capacities and configurations. The layouts were based on the actual size of the equipment needed including all the balance of plant equipment. IEC performed preliminary engineering and worked with reputable vendors to size and select the equipment. IEC also prepared water balances for all six options. In addition, IEC prepared detailed total capital cost estimates for all six cases covering development, licensing, permitting, emission offsets, engineering, procurement, construction, start-up, and testing. The estimate was accurate down to the skid level. The cost estimate was adjusted for union considerations and escalated for the cost of raw materials.
Equipment Recommendations: Based on IEC’s preliminary engineering and recommendations, TID selected three 58-MW General Electric LM6000PG turbines equipped with a water injection system to the turbine in order to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) formation, and a selective catalytic reduction system to further control NOx emissions.
Construction Management & Field Engineering: Due to IEC's design experience, operational knowledge, and ability to maintain project quality, TID requested that IEC provide construction management and engineering oversight for all engineering disciplines, including mechanical electrical, civil/structural, and controls engineering. IEC provided support throughout the construction phase to monitor site work and contractors and maintain compliance throughout facility development and operation. Our experts also provided specialized documentation, inspection, and training to ensure successful commissioning, start-up, and long-term reliability.
IEC’s field team was responsible for achieving Mechanical Completion on schedule and with no claims. IEC successful wrapped up its on-site support of the Almond Power Plant Expansion Project. TID also tasked IEC with ongoing site engineering support for plant operations on an as-needed basis to coordinate, track, and resolve electrical engineering issues at the facility.
