HOLSTON ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE COMMISSIONS FIRST U.S. ETHANE-TO-POWER GENERATION PLANT
Rogersville, TN – Holston Electric Cooperative commissioned a 4.8-megawatt power generation plant on Friday morning at the NGL Supply fractionation facility in Bulls Gap, Tennessee. Placement of the Jenbacher J420 generator, provided by Aggreko, was completed and commissioned at approximately 8:45 AM on Friday, June 28th. The Holston Electric power plant is fueled by excess, or waste, ethane gas from the nearby fractionation facility. Ethane is a natural gas liquid being harvested by the NGL fractionation plant. While there are ethane production facilities across the United States, this site stands alone as the first ethane-to-power generation facility in the nation.
The new generation facility brings a number of positive impacts to the local community, such as power cost savings, stronger reliability, and a reduction in carbon emissions. The site will be home to an additional 3 generation units by the end of 2024. Once complete, the Holston Electric Cooperative’s Whitehorn Creek Generation Plant could produce enough power to supply over 3,600 Holston members with electricity.
“Being a part of this idea and transforming it into a reality for our community makes working for the people and membership worth every moment,” states Jimmy Sandlin, Holston Electric Cooperative General Manager. “Taking advantage of a tremendous opportunity that exists in our service area will allow Holston Electric to essentially recycle the ethane waste by converting the ethane to power. This new source of power will be used daily when turning on appliances, lights, and devices in homes. I am proud to work with our Holston Board of Directors and employees with the ultimate goal to serve our members and create a cleaner environment.”
Partnerships with NGL Supply Company, TVA, GPI Company, Tristar Energy Solutions, Shane’s Excavating, and Aggreko are what brought this project to completion. Holston Electric Cooperative engineers and crews were assisted by partners, finishing the project rapidly in 6 weeks.
Holston Electric Cooperative is a member-owned, not-for-profit distributor of TVA power that provides safe, reliable and affordable energy to more than 32,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Hawkins and Hamblen counties. HolstonConnect is a wholly owned subsidiary of Holston Electric Cooperative formed to provide dependable, fast, quality high-speed internet, television, and telephone services to members at a reasonable cost.