Controls and Automation

Modernizing a linchpin in New York’s clean energy goals: Next Generation Niagara

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Modernizing a linchpin in New York’s clean energy goals: Next Generation Niagara
Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant (photo courtesy NYPA)

To maintain performance, reduce failure risks and maximize access to data at its 2,525 MW Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant, the New York Power Authority has begun the largest single investment in its history to modernize and upgrade the plant’s control and electrical protection systems.

By Bradley Otto, P.E., Paul Parthemore, Timothy Poe, P.E., and Nathan Ball


The New York Power Authority (NYPA) is embarking on an extensive modernization effort, known as Next Generation Niagara (NGN), at its 2,675 MW Niagara Power Project in western New York, the state’s largest producer of electricity. This $1.1 billion commitment — the largest single investment in NYPA’s history — will focus primarily on the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant, the larger of two power plants that comprise the Niagara Power Project.

The plant – located in Lewiston, N.Y.— contains 13 turbine-generator units with a total capacity of 2,525 MW. Since the Niagara Power Project first began producing power in 1961, the facility has provided a significant baseload supply of clean energy to New York.

NGN offers compelling economic advantages to NYPA, its customers and all electricity consumers in western New York. An extensive evaluation of the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant’s assets was conducted, identifying components for replacement and repair to maintain safety for NYPA employees and energy reliability for New York State. NGN will allow the plant to operate continually through the end of the current Federal Energy Regulatory Commission operating license, due to expire in 2057, and beyond.

Overview

NYPA is the largest state public power organization in the U.S., operating 16 generating facilities and more than 1,400 circuit-miles of transmission lines. More than 80% of the electricity NYPA produces is clean renewable hydropower.

NGN encompasses four major phases, including:

  • A comprehensive inspection of the plant’s penstocks, with repairs and coating as needed;
  • Replacement of the 630-ton moveable crane that enables mechanical work at the plant;
  • Upgrading and digitizing the plant’s control systems; and
  • Building a new backup control room and replacing mechanical and electrical components that have reached the end of their operating life.

Controls upgrade

The Niagara project’s control systems and electrical protection devices have been in place since the hydropower plant began operating. One of the largest pieces of the overall modernization effort will entail upgrading and digitizing these devices to make the plant more efficient and reliable so that it can continue to provide clean energy to New York State for another 50 years. To help the state meet its ambitious carbon-free clean energy goals and reduce risks of power failure or loss of production at the plant, NYPA turned to the Burns & McDonnell team for an overhaul of its equipment for integrated digital controls, to be accomplished without taking the plant offline.

Using a design-build-delivery method, this 15-year project began in 2019 with a full overhaul of the first of the 13 turbine-generators, which was completed in the fall of 2021. The next phase begins in the spring of 2022 and will include a renovation of the plant’s main control room, complete with an entire architectural overhaul and integration of the new control system into the new space. Because operations and maintenance staff will still need to work 24/7 during this process, the design calls for dividing the control room in half and updating one side at a time. The Burns & McDonnell team also has selected materials that can be installed without causing excessive dust or other disturbances. To provide a final result accommodating the needs of operators, the architectural design integrates top-of-the-line aesthetics and ergonomics, including color schemes, lighting levels, desk and chair selections, and acoustics.

The upfront engineering of this first phase also incorporates upgrades to the switchyard, helping to address security compliance regulations regarding anti-terrorism and NERC-CIP (North American Electric Reliability Corporation-Critical Infrastructure Protection) standards. Once these areas are complete, the team will focus on updating the controls and protective relaying for the remaining 12 units. Again, to avoid reducing the plant’s power output and downtime, each unit will be addressed individually throughout the remainder of the program.

Mechanical upgrades

The scope for this portion of the work is replacement of the wicket gates, head covers, turbine guide bearings and housings, turbine shafts, generator stators, servomotors and thrust bearings. The work also includes rehabilitation of the turbine runners and seals, spiral cases and hatches, rotor rims and spiders, draft tubes and hatches. The electrical upgrades, or balance of plant, portion of the work is the electrical component to the mechanical work, which may involve replacing auxiliary transformers, relays, switches and other controls and indications associated with the turbine-generators. The procurement contract for the mechanical upgrades to NYPA’s 13 generating units has been issued to Voith Hydro Inc. of York, Pa.

Five of the 13 generator stators are being replaced as part of the Next Generation Niagara project (photo courtesy NYPA).

Procurement contracts for new replacement wicket gates and shafts have been issued to GE Renewables. The wicket gates will be redesigned, using stainless-steel rather than the current carbon steel.

Future contracts will be issued for the refurbishment/replacement of each generator’s 13.8-kV isolated phase bus systems, the five original stators, and the plant’s high-pressure fluid cable pressurization pump skids.

Crane replacement

The Niagara Power Project’s 630-ton moveable gantry crane is original to the plant and has had multiple upgrades. The scope of work under the 630-ton crane replacement project includes design, fabrication, delivery and installation of a new 680-ton gantry crane equipped with a 15-ton monorail hoist and a 2-ton maintenance crane. Additionally, analysis, design and installation of a new runway rail system will be implemented to accommodate the new 680-ton gantry crane. Plans will likely include replacement of all rail sections. Lastly, the existing crane will be demolished. NYPA will be turning to industry experts for the implementation of this project.  

Timothy Poe, the Next Generation Niagara program owner, stands in front of the gantry crane (photo courtesy NYPA).

Penstock inspection and refurbishments

Work under the penstock inspections and refurbishments phase includes custom design, fabrication, delivery and installation of a penstock inspection platform, including necessary ancillary equipment to lower and hoist the platform the full length of the straight sloping section of each penstock. Scaffolding and lifts will be used to gain access to the upper elbow, lower elbow, draft tube and upper penstock areas. After the thorough inspection, a report will be generated identifying required repairs to extend the life of the penstocks. Each penstock will likely be finished with a new coating system after completion of the repairs. A procurement contract for the penstock inspection platform has been issued to The State Group of Buffalo, N.Y. NYPA will be turning to industry experts for the inspections, repairs and coating of the penstocks. 

Timeline and next steps

Work on the project’s first phase began in the fall/winter of 2019 and included the first generating unit, the control room and several auxiliary systems. The first unit’s control system has been upgraded and is running in a planned monitoring phase that will allow the team to identify areas for improvement in the new system. These improvements can be implemented prior to the beginning of the following upgrades. Architectural work in the main control room is scheduled to begin early in the spring of 2022.

The next upgrade to a generating unit will begin in 2023. All work on the controls, penstocks and the mechanical scope associated with this unit will be completed during this outage. After this outage is completed, NYPA will install the new 680-ton crane.

When the entire project is complete, estimated to be in 2035, the modernized hydropower plant will leverage digital technology to produce power more efficiently and reliably.

Investment over the 2019 to 2033 project period for NGN will average about $80 million annually and total about $1.1 billion. When NGN was approved in 2019, the project featured a net present value of more than $2 billion, which was the financial metric used in the evaluation, based on the extension of the plant’s life from the mid-2030s to a period well beyond the expiration of the plant’s current operating license (2057). Certain elements of the project may extend the useful life of the plant into the next century. 

Bradley Otto is senior project engineer at the Niagara Power Project, responsible for the controls upgrades for Next Generation Niagara (NGN). Paul Parthemore serves as project engineer at the Niagara Power Project, responsible for the penstock inspection platform and repairs as well as the 630-ton gantry crane replacement for NGN. Timothy Poe serves as western New York project manager for the Project Management Generation group and is the NGN program owner. Nathan Ball serves as project engineer at the Niagara Power Project, responsible for the mechanical upgrade as well as replacement wicket gates and shafts for NGN.