FAQs
Why did you pick Cass County Station for this expansion?
Cass County Station has the right infrastructure, including access to an adequate natural gas supply, and room for expansion. While OPPD will need to invest in infrastructure upgrades to the station, it will not be as expensive or time-consuming as building at a new location.
Why does OPPD need more power? How is load growth contributing to this issue?
The 13-county OPPD service territory is experiencing unprecedented growth in demand for electricity. OPPD anticipates demand to increase roughly 100MW each year for the remainder of the decade. That’s the equivalent to the electric demand of 65 metro-area high schools or medium-size hospitals annually.
Regulations to ensure reliability of the electric system also require us to keep more power in reserve. Currently, OPPD is required to keep a 12-15% planning reserve margin, which represents the amount of power available beyond peak projected demand to guard against unplanned situations or stresses on the regional power grid.
For the first time, the new reserve-margin requirements will vary by season, requiring utilities within the SPP to have enough generating capacity to serve their peak consumption, plus an additional 36% planning reserve margin in winter and 16% margin in the summer. The new requirements go into effect starting in the summer 2026 with potential additional increases expected starting the summer of 2029.
At the same time, OPPD is seeing rising peaks – we set a new winter record in December 2022 and a new summer one in 2024. All of this equates to a need to increase the amount of generation we can provide our customers.
What are the advantages of dual-fuel generation?
Having multiple fuel sources allows power plants to switch between fuels based on availability, price, or other factors. This enhances the reliability of power generation, especially during times of fuel supply constraints.
Different fuels can have distinct benefits, ranging from lower costs and emissions to availability. Generally, our units run on natural gas except when natural gas is unavailable because of weather or because of market factors driving exorbitant cost.
Why are you recommending this class of turbines?
We already have this type of turbine at Turtle Creek Station. They are large enough to produce the megawatts we expect to need and are reliable industry workhorses. In addition, we believe this helps us better maintain the units. Our team already has expertise in working with the units, and this makes it easier to have the right parts on hand when repairs and maintenance are needed.