Progress at 1.3GW Plant Yates gas-fired plant

Construction is progressing at Georgia Power’s three new natural gas generation units at Plant Yates in Coweta County, south-west of Atlanta, Georgia, US.

Georgia Power recently received delivery of the latest major components – including the turbine and generator – to complete the new Unit 9 combustion turbine (CT). Each new Plant Yates CT is based on a Mitsubishi Power M501JAC simple-cycle gas CT and a Mitsubishi Electric Power VP-X Series turbine generator. Assembled at Mitsubishi Power’s Savannah Machinery Works facility, the units were carried to site by rail and truck.

The three CTs at Plant Yates were approved by the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) in the 2023 Integrated Resource Plan Update and, owing to the efficient planning and construction timelines available for natural gas generation, are expected to be online by the end of 2027 to meet new energy demand in the state. Components for Unit 8 were delivered in August, while the components for Unit 10 are expected in early 2026. Together, the three units will provide 1.3GW of generation capacity.

The gas turbines at Plant Yates should provide higher output and greater efficiency than previous generations of simple-cycle CT designs. Each turbine weighs nearly 350 tons, is 50ft long and 18ft wide. The air-cooled Mitsubishi Power M501JAC Series design provides operational flexibility by eliminating the need for steam cooling, offering a shorter start-up time of approximately 30 minutes and a lower turn down rate.

As a contingency in the event that natural gas is unavailable, the units have built-in flexibility to run on oil, with on-site oil storage capability providing reliability and resiliency benefits to the electric system. With minor future modifications, the M501JAC is also capable of using a hydrogen mix as a fuel.

The three VP-X generators are efficient, hydrogen-cooled units rated at 583 megavolt amperes. These generators have achieved an efficiency of 99%.

Plant Yates has a long history of coal firing. In 2014, five of the seven units were decommissioned, with the remaining two converted to natural gas generation.

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