High Desert Power Project (HDPP)In 2001, after more than 5 years of development efforts by Inland, Inland and Constellation Energy (one of the nation’s leading independent utility affiliates) closed the financing on a $650 million state-of-the art gas combined cycle project in Victorville, CA. The project is a 3 X 1 (3 Siemens gas turbines/1 Toshiba steam turbine), 830 MW, water cooled (cooling tower) plant. The plant came on line in 2003, after just 24 months of construction, on time and under budget – Kiewit handled the EPC. POWER Magazine awarded the plant the prestigious Power Plant of the Year Award in 2003, based largely on the significant development obstacles that Inland overcame in order to achieve permitting in California; these obstacles included obtaining Emission Reduction Credits by transferring them up from the Air Quality Management District in the LA basin (which had never been done before) and achieving efficient water cooling in the drought prone High Desert by using water imported from Northern California. Inland also successfully negotiated the permitting and construction of a 32-mile-long dedicated natural gas pipeline. The project continues to operate successfully today.

 

Cabazon Wind Farm

 

Inland’s Executive Vice President, Tom Barnett, led the successful development effort for a 43 MW wind Farm in the San Gorgonio pass east of Los Angeles; the Project involved construction of 64 Vestas 666 kw wind turbines just south of the community of Cabazon, CA. Mr. Barnett led the permitting effort and helped negotiate the power purchase agreement with Southern California Edison. This project came on line in 2004 and is successfully operating today.

 

Victorville 2 Hybrid Power Project

 

Following the success of the High Desert Power Project, Inland was retained by the City of Victorville to develop unique “hybrid” power plant for the City: the project involved a 2 X 1 gas combined cycle plant integrated with 50 MW of thermal solar power (a total of 570 MW combined) located on 300 acres north of Victorville; the solar technology selected was the proven parabolic trough design which utilizes the sun’s energy to produce steam to turn a steam turbine. The unique hybrid approach was based on having the two generating systems (gas and solar) share a steam turbine thereby taking advantage of technical and economic benefits. Inland successfully obtained the permits and other contract/approvals needed to finance the Project; however, the 2008 financial crisis made it impossible to finance capital intensive projects for many years; as a result, Inland and the City are pursuing alternate ownership structures.

 

Palmdale hybrid Power Project

 

Following the success of the High Desert Power Project, Inland was also retained by the City of Palmdale (approx. 40 miles west of Victorville) to develop unique “hybrid” power plant for the City, structured in a manner that is very similar to the hybrid project in Victorville: the project involved a 2 X 1 gas combined cycle plant integrated with 50 MW of thermal solar power (a total of 570 MW combined) located on 300 acres along the northern boundary of Palmdale; the solar technology selected was the proven parabolic trough design which utilizes the sun’s energy to produce steam to turn a steam turbine. The unique hybrid approach was based on having the two generating systems (gas and solar) share a steam turbine thereby taking advantage of technical and economic benefits. Inland successfully obtained the permits and other contract/approvals needed to finance the Project and, working with the City, sold the Project to Summit Power, a major U.S. independent power producer. Inland is continuing to work with Summit to finance the Project.

 

Lekki Energy Center, Lagos,Nigeria

 

The Lekki Energy Center (LEC) is an 1,800 MW power plant being developed southeast of Lagos (Nigeria’s largest city) by Caleb-Inland Energy Nigeria Ltd (C-I), a new Special Purpose Entity created specifically for the purpose of developing, constructing, owning and operating electric power generating plants in Nigeria. C-I is comprised of two established energy development companies: Caleb Energy Inc., a California company the principals of which are Nigerian - Americans who are thoroughly familiar with the political and economic infrastructure of Nigeria, particularly, Lagos, and who have a wide range of experience in dealing with financing and infrastructure projects; and Inland Energy, Inc., a power plant development company based in California which has successfully developed more than 3.0 GW of power plants with various technologies throughout the U.S. but primarily in California. LEC currently represents the culmination of more than six years of effort by the C-I team; as a result, a site has been selected, much of the regulatory and permitting work has been completed and C-I is now focused on securing the gas supply and power purchase agreements. The major components are shown below: Four 1 x 1 x 1 CCGT trains (GE gas turbine + HRSG + STG)200 MW of Duct Firing for quick response; Fuel – LNG from the Shell company Water cooled using local water lagoons; State-of-the-art pollution control; 1,800 MW total capacity (nominal) + 200 MW Duct Firing, developed in stages The Project has recently been selected by the Lagos State Energy commission as one of four gas fired power plants that will contract with Lagos State to provide electricity. The Project is in final negotiations for gas supply and power off-take.