Dominion Energy Places 550-Megawatt
Combined-Cycle Unit Into Operation
RICHMOND, Va. - Dominion Energy, the electric
generating unit of Dominion, (NYSE: D), placed a 550-megawatt combined-cycle
unit into commercial operation Tuesday at its Possum Point Power Station in
Northern Virginia.
Possum Point Unit 6, which operates primarily on natural gas,
will play a significant role in helping improve the region's air quality while
providing reliable energy.
"Combined-cycle units are more efficient and they produce
significantly less air emissions than coal-fired units," said Thomas F. Farrell
II, president and chief executive officer. "This unit will help us meet the
growing need for electricity among our customers, especially now, just as the
summer's heat arrives."
A combined-cycle unit consists of two conventional combustion
turbines and a steam turbine. Forced air, superheated by natural gas, turns
the combustion turbines to generate electricity. Their exhaust heat is captured
and used by the steam turbine to generate electricity. By using exhaust heat
to generate electricity, combined-cycle units convert more of the fuel to electricity
and produce fewer emissions than comparably sized conventional units.
Compared to a similarly sized new coal-fired unit, the combined-cycle
unit will produce about 82 percent less nitrogen oxide emissions and 92 percent
less sulfur dioxide emissions. Nitrogen oxide reacts with sunlight on hot summer
days to form ground-level ozone or smog.
Dominion began construction of the $370 million project in
April 2000.
The company also has completed the conversion of Possum Point
Units 3 and 4 from coal to natural gas. The conventional combustion turbine
units, which have a combined capacity of 336 megawatts, will be used primarily
to supply electricity on extremely hot days in the summer and very cold days
in the winter. The cost of the conversion was about $12 million.
Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of energy,
with a portfolio consisting of 24,000 megawatts of generation, 6.1 trillion
cubic feet equivalent of natural gas reserves, 7,900 miles of natural gas transmission
pipeline and more than 960 billion cubic feet of storage capacity. Dominion
also serves 5 million retail energy customers in nine states. Additional information
about Dominion is available on the Internet at www.dom.com.
