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New Sutter Energy Center Gives California a Boost
Built by Bechtel for San Jose-based Calpine Corporation, the 540-megawatt facility near Yuba City is the first major combined-cycle power plant built in the state in more than a decade, and the largest natural gas-fired plant California has put on line in a quarter of a century. Combined-cycle plants generate energy from natural gas, then harness the exhaust from the process as steam to produce even more energy.
"We are opening a new chapter in California’s energy future," Gov. Gray Davis said at the dedication of the Sutter plant on Tuesday. "I want to commend the management and workers of Calpine and all of those committed to the Sutter facility, because they brought this plant on line seven and a half weeks early." The new plant produces enough electricity to power 500,000 homes.
Calpine provided major power-island equipment for the Sutter Energy Center, while Bechtel provided the balance of engineering and procurement, plus all construction. Bob Riggs, Bechtel’s project manager, called the swift completion of the new plant "a huge accomplishment" that would not have been possible without dedicated people from Bechtel, Calpine and Siemens Westinghouse (which supplied turbines for the plant) working together toward a common goal.
Riggs also cited the contributions of individuals who went beyond the call of duty to bring the project in early. "The Bechtel team assigned to Sutter sacrificed almost all of their personal lives for the last five months of this job, working two shifts, 10 hours a day, six days a week to accelerate the work," he said.
Besides the Sutter Energy Center, Bechtel is involved in several other projects aimed at narrowing the energy gap in California. They include the Delta Energy Center, an 880-megawatt plant in Pittsburg scheduled to begin operation next summer, and two 600-megawatt plants—the Metcalf Energy Center in South San Jose and the Russell Energy Center in Hayward—that are progressing through development and permitting. All three projects are partnerships between Bechtel Enterprises and Calpine.