Background
PH Robinson was the largest natural gas fired NRG asset in Texas at 2,300 MW. It is a unique facility that used once through cooling from Dickinson Bayou and discharged into Galveston Bay. The location was shut down after some damage from hurricane Ike occurred in 2008 but primarily the technology was not competitive with the more modern CCGT technology. GENOVER negotiated the purchase of the power plant that included 1100 acres.
Project Execution
GENOVER took over site operations in June of 2011 and proceeded to de-integrate the plant from the CenterPoint controls scheme within the large 138/330 KV substation adjacent to the facility.
The plant even had some legacy SCADA connections to Texas – New Mexico Power that were still being monitored over 1000 miles away in West Texas. GENOVER completed all technical work and engineering to separate the asset from the grid in coordination with NRG, Centerpoint, TNM Power, and multiple regulatory agencies. Once that process was complete the site remediation process was completed including fuel oil, asbestos, mercury switches and lubricants.
GENOVER also managed administrative processes including property tax abatement with the respective county assessor, and worked closely with local law enforcement to provide opportunities for training at the site prior to demolition.
Timeline
The demolition and remediation portion of the project was completed in 18 months.