IBERDROLA, through its engineering subsidiary, has been awarded the construction of the combined cycle power plant (CCGT) in Salem (Massachusetts) with an installed capacity of 674 megawatts (MW).

The project was awarded by Footprint Power, a U.S. project company specialising in the replacement of older and less efficient coal- and oil-fired plants with more efficient and modern power generation facilities.

This contract is one of IBERDROLA INGENIERÍA largest ever in terms of scale and a key milestone in its process of establishing in one of the most competitive markets of the global energy industry.

Located some 30 kilometres from Boston, the Salem CCGT plant will be able to supply electricity to 280,000 people. The state-of-the-art facility will be housed in a modern, environmentally friendly building designed by the U.S. firm Cookfox Architects.

The new quick-start plant to be built by IBERDROLA INGENIERÍA will use the most advanced technology and will replace the existing coal-fired plant Salem Harbor Station, built 63 years ago which is being decommissioned on the site.

The commissioning of the Salem combined cycle power plant will enable cleaner electric power to be generated in the area and will contribute to reduce CO2 emissions.

Another of the benefits of the project will be the freeing-up of space, since the new CCGT will occupy less than a third of the current site. The facility has been designed to be a good neighbor with engineering, architectural and landscape features intended to reduce sound, and improve the visual impact. The smaller gas plant will open areas of prime waterfront property to development, including a harborwalk, larger wharf, and expanded facilities for ferries, fishing vessels, and cruise ships.

IBERDROLA’s subsidiary will be in charge of the engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning of the project, and will also undertake landscaping work once construction has been completed.

The plant will use the technology developed by General Electric (GE), a company IBERDROLA is working with to develop major projects in countries such as Qatar, Lithuania, Algeria, Kenya and Germany.

This energy infrastructure will contribute to promote economic and social development in the area, as some 600 jobs will be created during construction work with several local companies expected to benefit from the project. IBERDROLA Engineering is firmly committed to hiring workers from the communities around the plant, and this has been one of the keys to its establishment in the area.

The plant incorporates GE’s Flex-efficiency design

In addition, the Salem combined cycle power plant will be the first high-performance facility in the world to incorporate GE’s Flex-efficiency design. This modern system, which seeks to redefine operational flexibility standards, includes enhanced gas turbines, steam turbines, generators and plant control systems that maximise the energy resources of power generation plants.

The award of this new project reinforces the position of IBERDROLA INGENIERÍA as one of the most international companies in its industry. The Company is present in 30 countries and recently has won major contracts in competitive markets such as Germany, Canada and Mexico.

The IBERDROLA subsidiary specialises in engineering and construction work, both for Group companies and for third parties, in the areas of generation, nuclear power, grids and renewable energy.

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