GE Renewable Energy has signed a Service contract with Avista Utilities, a US energy utility serving four northwestern states, to modernize four generator units at the Long Lake hydropower plant in the US. Upon completion of the refurbishment project, the facility will have an installed capacity exceeding 100 MW. This amount of energy is sufficient to meet the demand for electricity of approximately 80,000 homes.The main objective of the generator’s refurbishment is to maintain the overall plant equipment reliability for decades to come. In addition, the modernization of the units will increase the efficiency, performance and respond to the growing needs of the energy imbalance market (EIM) to better serve Avista’s customers. The EIM is a real-time wholesale energy trading market that enables participants anywhere in the West of the United States to buy and sell energy when needed, maintaining grid reliability and making excess renewable energy available to participating utilities at low cost rather than turning the generating units off.The first modernized Long Lake unit is scheduled to go into operation at the end of 2024 and the last one in 2029. The scope of the project includes the complete renewal and supply of the stators, poles, fans and spider/rim designs.The cooperation between Avista and GE is based on a long-standing and established partnership. GE was already responsible for the modernization of the generators at the sister plant, Little Falls, which is located downstream on the Spokane River.Avista Utilities is involved in the production, transmission and distribution of energy.
GE Renewable Energy has signed a Service contract with Avista Utilities, a US energy utility serving four northwestern states, to modernize four generator units at the Long Lake hydropower plant in the US. Upon completion of the refurbishment project, the facility will have an installed capacity exceeding 100 MW. This amount of energy is sufficient to meet the demand for electricity of approximately 80,000 homes.The main objective of the generator’s refurbishment is to maintain the overall plant equipment reliability for decades to come. In addition, the modernization of the units will increase the efficiency, performance and respond to the growing needs of the energy imbalance market (EIM) to better serve Avista’s customers. The EIM is a real-time wholesale energy trading market that enables participants anywhere in the West of the United States to buy and sell energy when needed, maintaining grid reliability and making excess renewable energy available to participating utilities at low cost rather than turning the generating units off.The first modernized Long Lake unit is scheduled to go into operation at the end of 2024 and the last one in 2029. The scope of the project includes the complete renewal and supply of the stators, poles, fans and spider/rim designs.The cooperation between Avista and GE is based on a long-standing and established partnership. GE was already responsible for the modernization of the generators at the sister plant, Little Falls, which is located downstream on the Spokane River.Avista Utilities is involved in the production, transmission and distribution of energy.
