Advanced Power Fires Up $1.3B Electric Plant Near Wellsville

BOSTON – Advanced Power announced Wednesday that it has started commercial operation at South Field Energy, a 1,182-megawatt, low-carbon combined-cycle natural gas electric generating facility near Wellsville in Columbiana County, Ohio.

The plant will be able to produce enough electricity to power one million homes.

Ground was broken on the $1.3 billion project on May 15, 2019, which was expected to employ more than 1,100 tradesmen during the construction phase of the project.

Advanced Power and an investor group consisting of Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc., NH-Amundi Asset Management, PIA Investment Management Co., Ltd., RS Global Capital Investment LLC, Shikoku Electric Power Co., Inc., The Chugoku Electric Power Co., Inc., and ENEOS HD own the facility.

Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, CIT Group Inc., GE Energy Financial Services, NH Investment & Securities Co., Ltd. and 10 other commercial banks provided senior secured credit plus other credit facilities.

“South Field Energy exemplifies our commitment to develop and manage world-class low-carbon, independent power generation in partnership with the communities in which we operate,” said Thomas Spang, Advanced Power CEO in a prepared statment. “We are honored to be a part of the community and look forward to continuing our support of its economic growth and providing funding directly to local schools through our Enterprise Zone Agreement.”

The electric generating facility sells energy, capacity and ancillary services into the PJM energy market.
Bechtel, a global leader in the design and execution of complex power projects for more than 60 years, was responsible for the engineering, procurement and construction of the facility, the company said.

The facility uses two General Electric gas turbines, each with a heat recovery steam generator and steam turbine generator, and will produce enough electricity to power approximately one million homes and businesses.

“South Field Energy was built using advanced technology to construct a state-of-the-art low-carbon electric generating facility that is among the cleanest and most efficient of its kind,” said Scott Curry, South Field Energy’s project director. “Many people and organizations from Columbiana County and its surrounding communities were instrumental in building this vital resource which benefits Ohio’s energy portfolio and the people who rely upon it. We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished together.”

Advanced Power in December 2017 commissioned a similar electrical plant in Carroll County, Ohio That $900 million plant is able to power about 750,000 homes.

Images courtesy of Innis Maggiore

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.