The first commercial M501GAC gas turbine has been shipped from Savannah Machinery Works just 18 months after the $325 million gas turbine manufacturing and service facility was dedicated.
This marks the first of three M501GAC gas turbines and one steam turbine that will be delivered to Dominion Virginia Power (Dominion) for the Warren County Power Station in Front Royal, Virginia. The 1,300 MW power station will supply electricity for 325,000 homes during peak demand. Dominion projects that the power station will save Northern Virginia ratepayers over $100 million in fuel costs during its first year of operation.
Earlier this year, MPSA received a second order from Dominion to supply three gas turbines and one steam turbine for the Brunswick County Power Station in Southern Virginia.
The M501GAC gas turbine is the latest generation of Mitsubishi’s proven M501G gas turbine design first introduced in 1997. Globally, 58M501G and M701G gas turbines are in operation and have accumulated over 1.7 million hours of successful operation. The air-cooled M501GAC gas turbine offers increased power, greater starting flexibility, and higher thermal efficiency than previous models.
The gas turbine will be rolled out by specialized train cars for delivery to the Warren County Power Station.
Since breaking ground in May 2011, MPSA has moved forward with an aggressive construction schedule for Savannah Machinery Works. MPSA has completed construction of a gas turbine component manufacturing area, a service and manufacturing center for turbine rotors, generators, and stationary equipment, and a gas turbine assembly area. When fully complete, the facility will total 500,000 square feet and employ over 500 people.
