The Russell City Energy Center (RCEC) is a 619-
megawatt
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units, International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), ...
natural gas-fired power station
A gas-fired power plant or gas-fired power station or natural gas power plant is a thermal power station which burns natural gas to generate electricity. Natural gas power stations generate almost a quarter of world electricity and a signifi ...
, which began operating in August 2013. It is operated by
Calpine
Calpine Corporation is the largest generator of electricity from natural gas and geothermal resources in the United States, with operations in competitive power markets.
A Fortune 500 company based in Houston, Texas, the company is owned by an ...
, and is located in
Hayward, California
Hayward () is a city located in Alameda County, California in the East Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of 162,954 as of 2020, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda Coun ...
. It is named for
Russell City and is built on that community's former landfill site.
History
In 2001, the Calpine energy corporation developed plans to build a 619 megawatt power plant, the Russell City Energy Center, at the city's former location. The plant broke ground in late 2010. The plant borders the City of Hayward Waste Water Pollution Control Facility and property owned b
East Bay Discharge Authoritynear the
Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge (DESFBNWR) is a United States National Wildlife Refuge located in the southern part of San Francisco Bay, California. The Refuge headquarters and visitor center is located in the Baylands dis ...
and the
Hayward Regional Shoreline
Hayward Regional Shoreline is a regional park located on the shores of the San Francisco Bay in Hayward, California. It is part of the East Bay Regional Parks system. The 1,713 acre park extends to the shores of San Lorenzo. Part of the park is fo ...
.
The Russell City Energy Center is the nation’s first power plant to receive a federal air permit that includes a voluntary limit on greenhouse gas emissions.
A
Federal Appeals Court
The United States courts of appeals are the intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal judiciary. The courts of appeals are divided into 11 numbered circuits that cover geographic areas of the United States and hear appeals fr ...
, in May 2012, denied an environmental claim by nearby
Chabot College
Chabot College (Chabot or CC) is a public community college in Hayward, California. It is part of the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District.
History
Chabot College was the first college opened by the Chabot- Las Positas Community Colle ...
.
The plant went online in August 2013, and its full output of electricity is sold to
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is an American investor-owned utility (IOU). The company is headquartered in the Pacific Gas & Electric Building, in San Francisco, California. PG&E provides natural gas and electricity to 5.2 milli ...
under a 10-year contract.
Calpine Corporation owns 75% of the plant's peak dispatchable capacity, or 464 megawatts, and GE Energy Financial Services owns the balance.
On May 27 2021 an explosion at the plant shut down energy production. The city of Hayward is opposing the reopening until more is known about the cause.
Design and specifications
The power train consists of two Siemens Westinghouse 501 FD Phase 2 combustion turbine generators (CTG), each maximum and each followed by a
heat recovery steam generator
A heat recovery steam generator (''HRSG'') is an energy recovery heat exchanger that recovers heat from a hot gas stream, such as a combustion turbine or other waste gas stream. It produces steam that can be used in a process (cogeneration) or u ...
(HRSG). The two HRSGs are heated from the CTG exhaust gases to generate steam. The generated steam is let in a single steam turbine generator (STG) of maximum. Resulting peak output is gross.
Under baseload operation, the output is gross from each gas-turbine and gross for the steam-turbine, adding to gross of which consumed by the auxiliary equipment, yielding a net output.
The two CTGs output the power at , the STG at , output which is connected to individual oil-filled generator step-up transformers, increasing voltage to . The auxiliary equipment motors are operated at 4,160 volts and the balance power distribution is operated at 480 volts and 277 volts for the lighting loads.
Production
Russell City Energy Center's production is as follows.
See also
*
List of power stations in California
This is a list of power stations in the U.S. state of California that are used for utility-scale electricity generation. This includes baseload, peaking, and energy storage power stations, but does not include large backup generators. , Cali ...
*
Los Esteros Critical Energy Facility, operated by Calpine in
San Jose
References
External links
RCEC at the California Energy Commission websiteCalpine Corporate website
{{Generating stations in California, state=autocollapse
Energy infrastructure completed in 2013
Buildings and structures in Hayward, California
Natural gas-fired power stations in California
Environment of the San Francisco Bay Area