MHPS to supply equipment for 840-MW hydrogen-powered plant in Utah

Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) today announced a contract to supply key equipment for a major coal-to-natural gas-to renewable hydrogen project at the Intermountain Power Plant (IPP) in Delta, Utah.

The 1.9-GW coal-fired power plant is planned to start using, from 2025, a fuel mix of 30% hydrogen and 70% natural gas. Then, over a period of 20 years, it will gradually transition to 100% renewable hydrogen. In 2045 the renewed facility, owned by Intermountain Power Agency (IPA) and operated by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), will have a capacity of 840 MW, producing low-carbon power for Los Angeles and municipalities in other parts of California and Utah.

Under the order awarded by IPA, MHPS will supply for the project two 1-on-1 M501JAC power trains with gas turbines, steam turbines, heat recovery steam generators, and auxiliary equipment. It will also service the facility for 20 years.

“This award marks the first Advanced Class Gas Turbines in the industry specifically designed and purchased as part of a comprehensive plan to sequentially transition from coal, to natural gas and finally to renewable hydrogen fuel, and creates a roadmap for the global industry to follow,” the company, a joint venture between Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Hitachi, said in the press release.

MHPS is also involved in a nearby project involving the production and storage of large volumes of renewable hydrogen. The company is partnering with Magnum Development in the Advanced Clean Energy Storage (ACES) project adjacent to IPP.

MHPS Americas president and chief executive Paul Browning said the IPP and ACES project could help enable a 100% renewable power grid for the entire Western Interconnection, while also providing renewable hydrogen for industry and transport.

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!