Four power plants—two in Europe, two in Asia—are demonstrating a variety of new technology and business practices that improve power generation and distribution. In honor of these innovations, the four facilities will share the 1997 Powerplant Award.

Among the award winners is the Medway power station in southeastern England, a combined-cycle plant that incorporates 9FA gas-turbine technology and a triple-pressure reheat steam cycle

The award is presented annually to facilities showcasing practices "that are, or are destined to become, critical for producing, transmitting, and distributing thermal and electric energy in a cost-effective, environmentally sensitive manner." The honors will be presented at a luncheon on Nov. 5 during the International Joint Power Generation Conference in Denver.

One Powerplant Award is for the first commercial application of advanced 9FA gas-turbine technology in the United Kingdom. The Medway power station in southeastern England, a high-output combined-cycle (CC) facility, includes a triple-pressure heat-recovery steam generator.

Across the English Channel, Electricité de France has developed the Chooz B nuclear unit, the world's largest pressurized-water reactor. This award co-winner, with a 1,500-megawatt capacity, is the largest single power-generation unit of any type.

Two other honorees are located in Asia. In Hong Kong, the China Light & Power Co.'s station at Black Point will have a 2,500-megawatt capacity when completed. The facility combines high-pressure gas-delivery lines with gas-turbine/CC technology.

The fourth plant, the Shinchi facility in Japan, is the largest coal-fired station in Asia. Operated by the Soma Kyodo Electric Power Co., it produces ultralow emissions and can burn up to 30 different types of coal.

Winners of the Powerplant Award are selected by the editors of Electric Power International. DAVID HERMAN

Add electricity to wheat and corn as crops produced in the Hawkeye State. The U.S. Department of Energy and the Electric Power Research Institute in Palo Alto, Calif., plus a consortium of seven municipal utilities are about to build and operate a 2,250-kilowatt wind farm near Algona, Iowa. The Iowa Distributed Wind Generation Project will help the participants evaluate new turbine technology and expand utilities' experience with wind energy.

At the heart of the $2.8 million project are three 750-kilowatt Z-50 wind turbines made by Zond, a division of Enron Corp. in Tehachapi, Calif. The Z-50s are the largest commercial wind turbines manufactured in the United States. The turbines are equipped with 50-meter-diameter rotors, and use variable-speed drive on the motor and variable-pitch controls on the rotor, which enable them to get the optimum energy from Midwestern winds. Utility engineers will mount the turbines 50 meters above ground level and connect them to the distribution system of the joint owners.

The installation is scheduled to begin generating power in mid- to late 1998, and will be operated and maintained by Algona Municipal Utilities. The electricity that is generated by the wind farm will be sufficient to provide energy for about 400 to 450 homes in the area served by Cedar Falls Utilities, the lead utility for the project.

Other participants in the wind-farm project include Fonda Municipal Utilities, Montezuma Light & Power, and Ellsworth Municipal Utility, as well as the cities of Westfield and Estherville. MICHAEL VALENTI


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