The Long Ridge energy generation project is a 485MW combined-cycle power plant being developed in Hannibal town in Monroe County, Ohio.
The power plant will be operated by Long Ridge Energy Generation (LREG), a subsidiary of US-based infrastructure company Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors (FTII).
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LREG plans to develop the combined-cycle facility as a carbon-free, hydrogen-burning power plant to improve its energy efficiency and reduce its carbon footprint.
The power plant will help provide low-cost energy to Ohio. It will be the first power plant of its kind in the US to generate electricity by burning a blend of hydrogen and gas in a combustion turbine.
The plant employed up to 500 workers during the peak phase of construction and will generate 20 permanent operation and maintenance jobs once completed. It is expected to begin commercial operations in November 2021.
Long Ridge power plant location and background
The Long Ridge power plant is being developed on around 20 acres of the 1,600-acre Long Ridge Energy Terminal, a multi-modal energy terminal located in the Appalachian Basin.
The plant will occupy the site of the former Ormet aluminium plant in Hannibal, which was shut down in 2013. The site is directly accessible from the Ohio Route 7 state highway.
In June 2017, FTII purchased the Long Ridge Energy Terminal assets through its subsidiary, Ohio River Partners Shareholder. The Long Ridge energy generation project at the Long Ridge Energy Terminal site was approved by the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) in July 2017.
The final investment decision on the project was taken in February 2019, with construction works beginning in May 2019.
The Long Ridge power plant was originally planned as a gas-fired combined-cycle power plant, but the decision to convert it to run on carbon-free hydrogen was announced in October 2020.
LREG submitted a letter of notification to the OPSB in July 2021, seeking an amendment to the project’s approval certificate to authorise the use of up to 20% hydrogen in the combustion turbine’s hydrogen and natural gas fuel blend.
Long Ridge power plant make-up
The Long Ridge power plant features a General Electric (GE) H-class gas turbine, a horizontal gas flow heat recovery steam generator and a GE D650 steam turbine.
A GE 7HA.02 combustion turbine, with a rated combined cycle net output of 573MW, will be installed. The turbine is designed for easy installation and offers more than 63% combined-cycle efficiency. Its modular configuration will simplify maintenance tasks, while the dual-fuel system will reduce water consumption and eliminate recirculation.
GE’s 7HA gas turbines can burn up to 50% hydrogen and are continuously upgraded by the company to handle higher hydrogen fuel volumes (up to 100%) and reduce emissions by decarbonising power generation.
The combustion turbine of the Long Ridge power plant will initially use up to 20% hydrogen and will eventually transition to use 100% green hydrogen over the next ten years.
The hydrogen required for the facility will be generated by electrolysis and transported and stored in tube trailers.
Financing for the Long Ridge energy generation project
In February 2019, LREG signed the first lien credit agreement with its two subsidiaries, Ohio Gasco and Ohio PP Holdco, for a $445m construction loan and a $154m letter of credit facility for the project’s construction.
Power transmission details
The electricity generated by the Long Ridge power plant will be transmitted through the existing Kammer-Ormet 138kV transmission lines connecting the 138kV Ormet station.
A new 138kV Hannibal station, owned and operated by American Electric Power, was built at the Ormet station site. It is a nine-breaker switching station, connecting the Long Ridge project to the four existing 138kV transmission lines.
The Kammer-Ormet 138kV transmission lines will be diverted to reach the new Hannibal station.
Contractors involved in the project
Kiewit Power Constructors, a division of US-based engineering and construction company Kiewit, secured an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the project.
GE signed an agreement with FTII to provide power generation equipment for the project in February 2019.
In February 2020, power generation service provider NAES was contracted to provide operations and maintenance (O&M) services for the power plant.
Black and Veatch, a US-based EPC firm, is working with Long Ridge to develop plans for the safe integration of hydrogen blending in the power plant’s gas turbine.
