The Florida Department of Environmental Protection on May 15 issued the final air construction permit to Tampa Electric for its planned uprate of the gas-fired combustion turbines at the Polk power plant into a combined-cycle configuration.
The project will utilize four existing combustion turbine-electrical generators (CTGs) and will add four new heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs) equipped with natural gas-fired duct burners, a single 500-MW steam turbine-electric generator (STEG), a mechanical draft cooling tower, transmission upgrades and ancillary equipment. The so-called “Polk 2 Combine Cycle” “4-on-1” facility will have a generating capacity of about 1,160 MW.
The Polk Power Station currently consists of: a nominal 250 MW (net) coal- and petroleum coke-based integrated gasification and combined cycle (Unit 1) including a sulfuric acid plant and an auxiliary boiler; four natural gas-fueled nominal 165-MW simple cycle CTGs designated as Units 2, 3, 4 and 5; and ancillary equipment. Units 2 and 3 are equipped with backup fuel oil-firing capability.
The project involves the conversion of Units 2 through 5 from simple cycle operation to a single “4-on-1” combined cycle operation that will be known as the Polk 2 Combined Cycle. The conversion will be accomplished by adding: a duct-fired HRSG and combined cycle exhaust stack to each CTG; and a single nominal 500 MW steam turbine-electrical generator. The converted units 2, 3, 4 and 5 will be redesignated as Units 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D.
Tampa Electric is a unit of TECO Energy (NYSE: TE).
