Dynegy Inc., Houston, on Wednesday said that commercial operations have started at the Calcasieu power generation facility near Lake Charles, La.
The 155-Mw, natural gas-fired plant is the second power plant developed by Dynegy under its $5 billion generation expansion program. It also is the first of three Dynegy generation projects totaling 1,055 Mw of capacity that will begin commercial operation this summer.
The simple-cycle peaking facility is one of several greenfield merchant power plants being developed in geographically diverse regions as Dynegy "aggressively" expands its generation portfolio to capitalize on capacity shortfalls throughout the US, says Steve Bergstrom, president and COO of Dynegy. Most of the power generated by the plant will supply gas to Cleco Corp. of Pineville, La. Cleco recently signed a 5-year power purchase agreement with Dynegy.
Dynegy also says it's expanding the Calcasieu project to meet the rapidly growing demands of the state and regional wholesale power markets. It will add a 165-Mw gas combustion turbine during second quarter 2001, raising the power plant's total generating capacity to a nominal 320 Mw.
Dynegy is scheduled to complete a 100-Mw expansion at the Rocky Road power plant near Chicago in July, which will increase total generation at the gas-fired peaking facility to 350 Mw. Commercial operations also will start in July at Dynegy's 800-Mw gas-fired power plant at Rockingham County, NC.