Natural gas production in the lower 48 states got another boost on July 9 – continuing the US growth trend. Senior executives from utility giant Exelon Generation, power and grid suppliers Alstom and General Electric, and construction and engineering provider Zachry officially broke ground on the construction of a new low-carbon, combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) at Exelon's Wolf Hollow Generating Station in Granbury, Texas. The new CCGT, just 30 miles outside Ft. Worth, will provide an additional 1,000 MW to the existing 704 MW natural gas power plant.
According to an Exelon announcement, the new unit “will be one of the most environmentally friendly and efficient CCGTs in the state and the nation,” using General Electric's most advanced gas turbine technology and an air cooling system, which will eliminate the need for water to cool the unit in a time of extreme drought.
The new unit at Wolf Hollow is one of two new CCGTs the company is developing in the Texas market. The other 1,000 MW CCGT will be constructed at Exelon's existing Colorado Bend Generating Station in Wharton, Texas, near Houston. Both units are expected to achieve commercial operation in 2017.
