Owner/operators attending the mid-February meetings of the 501F and 501G Users Groups expressed “great interest and enthusiasm” in forming a T3000 User Group, said Mark Winne, plant manager, Millennium Power, Charlton, Mass, and vice chair of the G users. It didn’t take long: The group was established and the first meeting was held in Alpharetta, Ga, May 16-17. There were 49 attendees representing 37 sites and a broad mix of technologies—gas/oil, combined cycle, coal, hydro, and solar.
The general consensus, reported Winne: The meeting was a success and the T3000 is a respected product. There are issues, of course, and Siemens Energy, the OEM, committed to working with the group to resolve them. Next meeting is planned for May 2013, with several net meetings likely between now and then. Users interested in joining the group can do so by accessing the membership link at http://swpcdcs.users-groups.com.
A steering committee has been formed; Clint Sexton of American Municipal Power Inc’s Fremont Energy Center, is the chairman. Fremont Energy, located in Ohio, is a recently commissioned 707-MW combined cycle operated by NAES Corp. The other nine members of the steering committee are:
• Neal Coffey and Lance Rutherford, Ennis Power Plant (Texas).
• Charles Johnson, Hillabee Energy Center (Alabama).
• Robert Lake, Cape Canaveral Energy Center (Florida).
• Dean Motl, New Harquahala Generating Co LLC (Arizona).
• Roy Price, Osprey Energy Center (Florida).
• Rafael Santana, Lodi Energy Center (California).
• Tim Sheehan and Mark Winne, Millennium Power (Massachusetts).
