EAST CHINA TWP. - More power, produced by a 320-megawatt natural gas-fired plant that's currently under construction, is nearly ready to come on line in Michigan.

The electrical production industry refers to its kind as a "peaker" plant, a facility designed to be fired up quickly in order to generate electricity in anticipation of peak loads. Construction began on the plant in August 2001, and the four 80-megawatt, high-efficiency General Electric turbines are expected to be in full commercial operation by June 1.

"There's a nationwide effort to get these peaker plants on line," said Charles Bateman, construction manager at the site. "When they were ordered, companies were standing in line with GE to buy those turbines."

Peaker plants can be built quickly, and have become necessary in recent years to augment the capacity of the larger "baseload" power plants, which typically provide a consistent, less-expensive load of power around the clock. With the nation's electrical generating capacity straining to keep up with demand in some areas, peaker plants are proving to be a valuable resource.

The Washington Group International is the engineering, procurement, and construction manager on this site. The project peaked out at about 220 construction workers in March. Late last month, Unit 1 had already been fired up for testing, and the other three were scheduled to go on line in succession this month.

"Generally, the construction has gone well," said Washington Group Site Manager John McCutchen. "The quality of the work has been good, and the tradespeople have been working like gangbusters to bring the job in." Many Hardhats on the project have worked 60-hour weeks since November to get the job done in time for this summer's cooling season.

This plant is owned by DTE Energy Services, a subsidiary of DTE Energy, and its construction is a direct result of electrical industry deregulation. The facility is the first non-regulated power plant constructed since the merger of DTE Energy and MCN Energy (Mich Con). The power it produces will be placed for sale on the open market.

"This project is a great example of the integrated strength and synergy of the new energy company, with gas assets and electrical interconnections being used to optimum advantage," said Barry G. Markowitz, president of DTE Energy Services.

The peaker plant is being erected on 18 acres of land near DTE Energy's 1,200 megawatt, coal-burning Belle River Power Plant, which was built in 1984 and would be classified as a baseload plant for the utility. Having an existing power plant on the 2,200-acre site made the permitting process easier. In addition, the electrical transmission system is nearby, and the plant is in close proximity to natural gas pipelines, which will ensure that a source of fuel for the new plant will be available during peak demand periods.

According to unofficial information provided by the Michigan Public Service Commission, six peaker plants are currently under construction in our state, which will add a total of 2,030 megawatts of power to the region's electric grid.

The State of California, which underwent rolling power blackouts in the summer of 2000, is particularly fertile ground for the construction of peaker plants. One 95-megawatt plant in Hanford went up in a record 88 days, in good part because of the elimination of governmental red tape in getting permits issued

Overall in North America, construction of sufficient peaker plants and other electrical generators is expected to be "satisfactory" for the nation's energy needs in the near term, according to Michael Gent, president of the North American Electric Reliability Council. After several years of decline, he said projected capacity margins across North America show a marked increase over the next five years, as new merchant electricity generating plants come on line.

U.S. merchant plant developers have announced plans to construct more than 190,000 megawatts (MW) of new generation by 2004, although it is unlikely that much capacity will be constructed.

THE THREE NATURAL gas units shown here at the DTE Energy Services peaker plant are scheduled to come on line this month. The fourth unit started producing electricity last month. The two stacks in the background serve the DTE Energy Belle River coal-burning plant.

ON AN UPPER PLATFORM on the Unit 1 draw stack are Boilermakers 169 members Archie Long, J.D. Yates and Jim Trousdale, working for the Washington Group.