Grand River Dam Authority in Oklahoma Breaks Ground on Power Project

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., May 21, 2024 /3BL/ – As the electric sector’s transition to cleaner energy sources accelerates, the Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA) in Oklahoma has launched design, procurement and construction activities for a new advanced class natural gas-fired project co-led by the GRDA and Black & Veatch, a global leader in critical infrastructure and decarbonization solutions.

The Grand River Energy Center (GREC) Unit 4 is a new fast-start, 426-megawatt advanced J-class Mitsubishi Power 1x0 combustion turbine simple-cycle project near Chouteau in northeast Oklahoma. It will replace the energy center’s Unit 2, a 492-megawatt coal-fired generator dating to the mid-1980s. Intended to deliver operational flexibility and fast start-up times to meet the needs of the GRDA’s evolving grid and its customers, the new unit will be installed at the GRDA’s existing GREC power plant site and connect to an existing 345-kilovolt (kV) switchyard that Black & Veatch also supported early on.

GREC Unit 4, which will provide vital peaking power in a wind-dominated Southwest Power Pool region when completed in 2026, will be executed by Black & Veatch under a shared-risk engineering, procurement support and construction management (EpCM) contract. Black & Veatch also is providing minor air permitting support and has prepared a cost estimate for the GRDA’s new 345kV transmission line with related structures.

The GRDA and Black & Veatch have a long history of collaborative, successful infrastructure projects. Black & Veatch served as owner’s engineer for GREC Unit 3 – the 1x1 combined-cycle GRDA power generator completed in 2017 and billed as the first unit of its kind to be deployed in the Western Hemisphere. GRDA and Black & Veatch teams continue to work collaboratively to help the GRDA deliver affordable, reliable electricity, with a focus on efficiency and a commitment to environmental stewardship.

“This important project extends Black & Veatch’s longstanding relationship with the GRDA and aligns with our shared values of delivering cleaner solutions in a rapidly evolving energy ecosystem,” said Laszlo von Lazar, president of Black & Veatch’s energy and process Industries business.

“GRDA’s goal is to continue to deliver reliable, efficient electricity to our customers in the decades to come, and Unit 4 will be a tremendous asset that will allow us to do that,” said Dan Sullivan, the GRDA’s president and chief executive officer. “Our partnership with Black & Veatch has helped us reshape our generation portfolio by adding new advanced class natural gas generation units. We look forward to continuing that partnership with Unit 4.”

Editor’s Notes:

• For more about Black & Veatch’s work in making the GRDA’s Unit 3 a reality, click here.

About Black & Veatch 
Black & Veatch is a 100-percent employee-owned global engineering, procurement, consulting and construction company with a more than 100-year track record of innovation in sustainable infrastructure. Since 1915, we have helped our clients improve the lives of people around the world by addressing the resilience and reliability of our most important infrastructure assets. Follow us on www.bv.com and on social media.

About the Grand River Dam Authority 
As a provider of affordable, reliable electricity with a focus on efficiency and a commitment to environmental stewardship, the Grand River Dam Authority is Oklahoma’s largest public power utility, fully funded by revenues from electric and water sales instead of taxes. Established in 1935, the GRDA also is a steward of the waters of the Grand and Illinois rivers in Oklahoma and manages more than 70,000 surface areas of premier Oklahoma lake waters, as well as miles of the scenic Illinois River. For more information about the GRDA, visit www.grda.com.

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