First Fire is the event where the plant is first started up after the plant is constructed and pre-commissioning checkouts are done. The 64 MW Simple Cycle Power Plant’s Successful “First Fire” occurred on 3/26/12 using clean-burning natural gas.
Boston, MA. — Veolia Energy North America, a leading operator and developer of energy efficient solutions, announced that SourceOne, its energy management and advisory services subsidiary, has reached the major milestone of First Fire for its project with the Vineland Municipal Electric Utility (VMEU) in Vineland, NJ. Following completion of the project, the 64-megawatt (MW) simple cycle gas fired generation facility is expected to enable VMEU to protect the City of Vineland from high electricity prices during peak demands and minimize VMEU’s costs for supporting the transmission grid managed by the Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland Independent System Operator (PJM-ISO). Unit 11 is the largest capital project in the City’s history.
SourceOne oversaw the design, engineering, permitting and technical support for construction of the Simple Cycle Power Plant (SCPP), and supported the testing activities in preparation for the first fire.
First Fire is the first time the project is tested as a complete power plant – testing how all components will work together, which is a critical phase that depicts how the plant will operate as a whole. Before first fire, equipment has been turned over from the construction contractor to the commissioning agent. This turning point marks the end of the start-up phase and the beginning of the commissioning phase. The crucial objective is to ensure all designed safety components are in place and operating as intended.
VMEU has been generating power to serve city residents since 1899. In an effort to continue the utility’s long-standing commitment to self-reliance, VMEU began planning for a new electric generation unit to serve the City's growing demand for electricity in 2008. The construction of the plant will enable VMEU to meet the capacity requirements of the PJM-ISO grid system while replacing recently retired coal-burning generation with a cleaner and more efficient generation facility. VMEU’s core value is to keep the Electric Utility city owned, thereby maintaining the utility jobs and economic stimulus provided by the utility to the community.
“At this point all systems are installed indicating we have reached an important breakthrough for the City of Vineland and this project. At the time of first fire the number one concern is safety – the objective is to ensure all designed safety components are in place and operating as intended,” said Peter J. Kudless, Project Manager of Vineland Municipal Electric Utility. “SourceOne has been working with Vineland since 2009 to design and construct the Vineland plant, and has continually proved they are excellent partners in moving this project forward.”
“We are excited to enter into the next phase of our power plant project with VMEU. The commissioning phase will test emissions output, performance and testing of overall plant as an entity – Sequence of Operations – running each piece of equipment and ensuring the correct sequence of operations occurs following that step.” said Vincent Martin, President of SourceOne. “Not only will this new Simple Cycle Power Plant help meet the growing electricity needs of their customers, but it will also be a more efficient and sustainable facility for the community of Vineland, New Jersey.”
SourceOne is the design team manager, working with a New England based engineering firm, Waldron Engineering, to create construction drawings and specifications for the Vineland plant. SourceOne retained AECOM Environment as the Team’s Environmental Permitting Specialist. As part of its work with VMEU to commence construction of the new power plant, SourceOne coordinated all the required engineering, site evaluation and environmental permitting for the project. Environmental permitting included federal, state, and local permits required for construction of the SCPP at the site.
About SourceOne
A subsidiary of Veolia Energy North America, SourceOne is a nationally recognized energy management and strategic advisory services company, providing support to businesses who view energy as critical to their operations, offering a strategic, customized approach to utilizing available resources, and generating new solutions. With offices in Boston, New York City, Connecticut and Los Angeles, SourceOne manages more than 900 megawatts (MW) of electric power, 4 bcf of natural gas, and $500 million of utility bill processing. Visit the company’s Web site at http://www.sourceone-energy.com/
About Veolia Energy North America
Based in Boston, MA, Veolia Energy North America is a leading U.S. operator and developer of energy efficient solutions. The company is part of the Veolia Environnement companies in North America, with 30,000 North American employees. Visit the company’s Web sites at www.veoliaenergyna.com and www.veolianorthamerica.com.
About Veolia Environnement
Veolia Environnement (Paris Euronext: VIE and NYSE: VE) is the worldwide reference in environmental solutions. With more than 315,000 employees, the company has operations all around the world and provides tailored solutions to meet the needs of municipal and industrial customers in the complementary segments of energy management, water management, and waste management. Veolia Environnement recorded revenue of $38.4 billion in 2011. www.veolia.com