CO reduction for GE aeroderivatives

Above: Martin Drake power plant

Catalytic oxidation reduction (COR) emissions control technologies were installed for the first time for this turbine fleet at Colorado Spring Utilities’ community owned Martin Drake power plant, on each of the six 34 MW DLE-equipped GE LM2500XPRESS aeroderivative gas turbines at the site.

The emissions control technology is expected to effectively reduce carbon monoxide emissions by up to 50%, to around 6 ppm.

Colorado Spring Utilities purchased the six GE LM2500XPRESS units in 2021 to support the increased use of renewables and accelerate the retirement of the company’s coal-fired power plant. “We retired our Martin Drake coal-fired plant 12 years earlier than previously planned, in part due to the addition of these six natural gas units,” said Travas Deal, CEO at Colorado Spring Utilities. “Compared to the high operations and maintenance costs to keep a 100-year-old, coal-fueled power plant running, these new natural gas generating units are efficient, offer low emissions, are dual fuel capable, can start
up quickly, occupy a small footprint and provide significant operational cost savings. They will go a long way in helping us meet an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030, while maintaining the resiliency and reliability of our electric grid.”

In December, GE announced installation of selective catalytic reduction on four mobile TM2500 aeroderivative gas turbines deployed at the California Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) sites in Yuba City and Roseville, reducing NOx and CO emissions by over 90%, surpassing World Bank standards.