Georgia Power tests 50% hydrogen blend in a natural gas turbine

Atlanta headquartered utility Georgia Power and Mitsubishi Power announced they have successfully completed a second trial blending hydrogen and natural gas fuels at both partial and full load on an M501GAC natural gas turbine at Georgia Power’s Plant McDonough-Atkinson in Smyrna, Georgia.

The companies claim their demonstration project is the first to validate 50% (volume ratio) hydrogen fuel blending on an advanced class gas turbine, and the largest test of this kind in the world to date.

The companies also claim the the 50% hydrogen blend with natural gas provides an approximately 22% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to 100% natural gas. Several tests were conducted prior to the 50% blend demonstration including multiple blend percentages that ranged from 5% to 50%, and testing occurred across several weeks in May and June.

Last year, the existing gas turbine was converted from steam-cooled to air-cooled, which includes J series combustion technology with high hydrogen co-firing capability. The companies argue the conversion provides the benefits of faster startup times, increased turn down capability and decreased maintenance expenses, while also supporting the ability for this hydrogen and natural gas blend testing.

Have you read?
GE Vernova validates 100% hydrogen-fueled dry low NOx combustor
EnBW commissions hydrogen-ready gas plant in Stuttgart

The Plant McDonough-Atkinson facility, located less than ten miles from downtown Atlanta, has served electric customers for more than 80 years and was fully converted to natural gas in 2012 and expanded to power up to 1.7 million homes. It currently operates with six large-capacity M501G and M501GAC series gas turbines, as well as three steam turbines running in three blocks of 2-on-1 combined-cycle configuration and two gas/oil fueled combustion turbines.

“Natural gas serves a critical role in our generation mix, providing flexibility, baseload power and quick response to customer demand, and will continue to be an important fuel as we plan to meet the energy needs of a growing Georgia through a diverse portfolio of generation resources,” said Rick Anderson, senior vice president and senior production officer for Georgia Power.

“At Georgia Power, innovative testing such as this is just one way we help ensure we can deliver reliable and affordable energy for customers for decades into the future, and reduce our overall emissions. Investments we’re making in our fleet and power grid today will benefit future generations, and I’m very proud of the team at Plant McDonough-Atkinson and Mitsubishi Power for their dedication to this project and safely completing this test.”

Mitsubishi Power completed the hydrogen blending on one M501GAC gas turbine unit, with an approximate one-on-one output of 283MW. Mitsubishi Power provided full turnkey service for this project including engineering, planning, hydrogen blending hardware, controls, commissioning and risk management. Mitsubishi Power partnered with Certarus to source and manage the hydrogen supply and logistics.

“It has been a privilege to partner with Georgia Power on this landmark project,” said Mark Bissonnette, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Power Generation at Mitsubishi Power Americas. “Building on the success of our earlier tests, we have achieved a 50% hydrogen blend in an advanced-class gas turbine, showcasing the capabilities of our state-of-the-art technology. This is a significant milestone for both companies to help Georgia Power reduce carbon emissions across its generation fleet.”

Southern Company’s R&D organisation served as technical consultants on the project. The team is engaged in research focused on low-carbon hydrogen power generation, production, delivery, transportation, infrastructure and energy storage.

Natural gas currently provides 40% of Georgia Power’s annual energy generation and has long been a bedrock fuel for the company. The company is currently developing three new Mitsubishi Power simple cycle combustion turbine resources, capable of utilising hydrogen, at Plant Yates in Coweta County as approved by the Georgia PSC in the 2023 Integrated Resource Plan Update (IRP).

In addition to new natural gas generation, Georgia Power is also investing in existing power plants to better serve Georgia. The company has proposed upgrades to ten natural gas turbines – both combined cycle and simple cycle – at Plant McIntosh in the 2025 IRP. These enhancements are expected to add an additional 268MW of capacity.

Originally published by Sean Wolfe on Factor This