204 MW coal plant in Alberta transitioning to natural gas, with help from GE

Maxim Power Corp., one of Canada’s largest independent power producers, will partner with GE to transition its Milner II power plant to run on natural gas. GE announced that Maxim Power’s M II 204 MW natural gas-fired power plant is delivering power to the Alberta grid near Grand Cache, Alberta. For this project, GE provided relocation support with a DLN2.6+ upgrade and secured a contractual services agreement for the GE 7F.05 gas turbine.

The relocation project included the task of moving the massive turbine from the United States to Alberta and the modernization of the existing combustion system with GE’s DLN2.6+ technology to address local fuel gas qualities, improve plant efficiency and reduce its environmental footprint to meet Canadian and local government specifications and standards.

During transport of the power generation equipment, GE and FieldCore, the field services company owned by GE, faced enormous challenges presented by record torrential rainfall, extreme cold temperatures reaching -40 degrees F, and the COVID-19 global pandemic. Engineers from GE and FieldCore worked together and in close co-operation with Maxim Power experts to quickly implement an array of safety measures including more frequent disinfections at the site, mandatory face masks, consistent personnel temperature monitoring, and strictly enforced social distancing to ensure employee safety and achieve safe completion of the project. Today, the Milner II power plant produces the equivalent of electricity consumed by approximately 208 000 Canadian households.