Ahead of Legislation Strategies for Power Plant Managers

Aug. 3, 2010 - PRLog -- Interview with: Jeffrey Stokes, Plant Manager, Bergen Generating Station PSEG




It is all about being ahead of legislation, according to Jeffrey Stokes, Plant Manager, Bergen Generating Station PSEG. Power plant management should be tuned-in to all the regulatory policies, environmental regulations and legislation coming into place. They need to understand what is going on at all levels, and make sure they are one step ahead when planning for the future. Ahead of the marcus evans Power Plant Management Summit 2010 taking place in Richmond, Virginia, September 27-29, Stokes talks about the upcoming industry changes, and more importantly, how power plant managers can ensure they stay ahead of the game.

What strategies to ensure environmental regulation compliance would you recommend?

Jeffrey Stokes: Plant managers should have someone tuned-in as the head of regulatory policy in their organization in order to not be on the downside of regulation when new laws emerge. Power generators should want to be ahead of where they think legislation is going, to be able to plan for the future.

Many of the changes the industry is facing involve carbon monoxide, carbon and mercury issues. These must be tackled early on, so that the organization is not caught with the rest of the group as they slowly make the necessary changes on the environmental front. Plant managers should have a great environmental lobbyist working for them. If they lack the resources, they can contract outside of the organization. It is all about being ahead of legislation.

What is on the horizon in the next few years?

Jeffrey Stokes: I would recommend power generators have combined cycle technology in their portfolio. The price of natural gas is low, and with the recent discovery of large deposits in the US, the price is forecasted to be low for some time. The technology is “clean” compared to coal and oil fired plants and would be poised to take advantage of much of the upcoming environmental legislation including carbon.

When I attended the last marcus evans Generation Summit, Richard Newell, the Administrator of the U.S. Energy Information Administration at the Department of Energy projected that load growth will only go up slightly by 2035, but there will be an additional 220,000 megawatts of renewable energy. Ask yourself, where is that additional supply going to come from? We know that renewable energy sources are here to stay and that they will be mandated by a certain percentage, at the state or federal level. Newell’s response was to have legislation that would force the retirement of old coal plants. However, not everyone will be able to financially come up to the specifications of new environmental guidelines; certain plants will be retired, making room for renewable energies. It is important to understand what is going on in the market at all levels, to easily update the company’s portfolio.

What are some of the opportunities that power plant managers can take advantage of?

Jeffrey Stokes: There are a lot of technological advances, such as smart transmitters, which are not yet widely used. You need to ensure critical system parameters are in some type of PI system format. Use the tools that are available so that you do not need to reinvent the wheel. Compare your operation with design data and locate your system inefficiencies. The next step would be to see what it would cost to upgrade your power plant infrastructure to reach the point where you should or want to be. Look at each case individually. Is it practical to spend several hundred thousand dollars to gain 100 BTUs of efficiency? For some it may not be worth it.

How can ageing power plants be optimized?

Jeffrey Stokes: Power plant managers must perform lifecycle analysis of their plants. This can be done in-house, but I would highly recommend hiring an external organization to do this. They would already have a base-line and a clear starting point. This is crucial when funds are limited. If money was no object, we would replace whole plants.

Managers have to focus their funds on the areas which can provide low cost high impact efficiencies. Third party manufacturers have made strides in their ability to recondition high tech gas turbine parts for a fraction of the OEM cost. There have also been advances in extending the life of gas turbine hot gas path parts which were made for two cycles to three cycles, but are now lasting four to five cycles.  


Contact: Sarin Kouyoumdjian-Gurunlian, Press Manager, marcus evans, Summits Division

Tel: + 357 22 849 313
Email: press@marcusevanscy.com


About the Power Plant Management Summit 2010

This unique forum will take place at The Jefferson Hotel, Richmond, Virginia, September 27-29, 2010. Offering much more than any conference, exhibition or trade show, this exclusive meeting will bring together esteemed industry thought leaders and solution providers to a highly focused and interactive networking event. The summit includes presentations on optimizing plants, complying with environmental regulations and workforce management.

For more information please send an email to info@marcusevanscy.com or visit the event website at http://www.ppm-summit.com/JeffreyStokesInterview

Please note that the summit is a closed business event and the number of participants strictly limited.

About marcus evans Summits

marcus evans Summits are high level business forums for the world’s leading decision-makers to meet, learn and discuss strategies and solutions. Held at exclusive locations around the world, these events provide attendees with a unique opportunity to individually tailor their schedules of keynote presentations, think tanks, seminars and one-on-one business meetings. For more information, please visit http://www.marcusevans.com  

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