The Alberta Utilities Commission on Oct. 8 approved a Sept. 28 application from Alberta Heat and Power LLC to delay the completion deadline for a 14.9-MW cogeneration power plant in the Brooks area.
Blue Earth Inc., on behalf of Alberta Heat and Power, requested approval to extend the completion date of the power plant from Dec. 31, 2015, to July 31, 2016. Blue Earth stated that project delays were due to the late delivery of major equipment, specifically, the heat recovery steam generator (HRSG). The completion of the HRSG fabrication process and shipping is expected to occur in early December 2015 with the expected arrival on-site during the first week of January 2016.
Blue Earth stated that due to this delay, the preliminary site preparation has been on hold. Blue Earth submitted that it would use a modular design approach to minimize the amount of construction traffic and the delays to the project’s in-service date. Blue Earth stated that it is currently working with AltaLink Management Ltd. and FortisAlberta on the completion of the transfer trip. The work associated with the transfer trip remains on schedule. It also stated that the turbine unit is currently in storage and would be moved to the staging site once fabrication of the HRSG module is complete.
“Based upon the information provided, Blue Earth has demonstrated that the requested time extension is of a minor nature, but necessary in order for Blue Earth to complete construction of the power plant,” said the Oct. 8 order. The commission granted approval of a time extension to Oct. 31, 2016, beyond the original delay application, to allow for additional unforeseen delays.
