POWER August 2013 - 37

PLANT OF THE YEAR
Well-Planned Plant Operations
AEP and CB&I staff were responsible for
initial checkout, but AEP plant staff were
responsible for initial operation of the plant
during startup and commissioning. This approach
is somewhat different than other recent
power projects that are similar in scope
and scale. Usually, suppliers use their startup
engineers at the control panels during initial
operation, with plant operations getting onthe-job
training. As a result of its approach,
Turk Plant had a better-trained staff with a
much higher level of ownership in the final
product.
The plant staffing chart shows approximately
110 employees are required to operate
and maintain the Turk Plant, and most of the
staff were newly hired. However, newly hired
doesn't mean the staff wasn't well prepared
to operate the plant. A high-definition training
simulator was purchased, and all new
staff were thoroughly trained in the unique
operating requirements of a supercritical
Benson boiler before system checkout and
startup began.
SWEPCO also began training a new generation
of plant operators several years before
construction began. In February 2008,
SWEPCO made a $1 million donation to the
University of Arkansas Community College
at Hope to fund scholarships for technical and
industrial programs (although the scholarships
were made available to students attending
several Arkansas community colleges)
for workforce development in southwest Arkansas,
where the Turk Plant is located. The
programs of study included welding technology,
industrial maintenance, industrial electricity,
and the like.
" This gift is so important in providing access
to necessary training and education that
citizens in Hempstead County and surrounding
areas need as community supporters of
the Turk Power Plant project, " said SWEPCO's
McCellon-Allen. Many of the new employees
at the Turk Plant were graduates of
these programs.
The plant was completed with an exemplary
safety record. More than 12.7 million
man-hours have been expended on the project
to date, with an OSHA recordable rate of
0.65. The safety performance for 2012 was
even better: 2.9 million hours worked with
only a 0.33 recordable rate.
Unit availability since startup has been
exceptional for a brand new plant based on
unfamiliar USC technology. Data for the first
quarter of 2013 reveals an equivalent availability
factor of 78.3% with a net capacity
factor of 69%.
Control room data shows a heat rate as low
as 8,700 Btu/kWh. This equates to an excellent
39.2% net thermal efficiency, which is extraordinary
considering the plant burns PRB coal.
The final measure of any plant goes beyond
bare operating statistics. The Turk Plant
should also be viewed as one of the power
industry's premier success stories. We also
remain hopeful that the use of USC technology
will not end with the operation of this
single plant.
The Edison Electric Institute (EEI)
agrees. It announced on June 10 that the
Turk Plant was its selection for the 2013
Edison Award. EEI President Tom Kuhn
noted, " The completion of the John W. Turk,
Jr. Power Plant represents the technological
advancement that will enable the next generation
of power plants to use coal with exceptionally
high efficiency while producing
extremely low emissions. " We agree with
Kuhn's assessment.
Congratulations to the Turk Plant project
team and operating staff that was responsible
for this award-winning project. ■
-Dr. Robert Peltier, PE is POWER's editorin-chief.
CONGRATULATIONS,
AMERICAN
ELECTRIC POWER!
We are proud to be a part of the John W. Turk, Jr. ultra supercritical plant,
winner of POWER magazine's 2013 Plant of the Year Award.
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POWER August 2013

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