Construction of a new 710 MW gas-fired cogeneration plant toreplace a 75-year old coal-fired powerhouse supplying Ford MotorCompany’s massive Rouge complex and Rouge Steel Co. in Dearborn,MI, is going into overdrive following a boiler explosion lastTuesday that killed one person, critically injured a dozen othersand destroyed the power plant.

By Friday Detroit Edison was supplying some power to the world’slargest auto plant and expected to get up to the full requirementof 200 MW by today. The power is being delivered through twooutlets that were not destroyed. The 1,100-acre complex employing10,000 is Ford’s oldest and largest production site supplying partsto 16 of Ford’s 20 North American assembly operations. Because ofthe blast, production was slowed Tuesday at several Ford plantsnationwide. Some operations at the Rouge plant resumed last weekand the industrial complex could be at full speed as early asMonday, Ford officials said.

A Detroit Edison spokesman said it was not a strain to providethe extra power now because the utility is a summer peakingoperation. And by July the first unit of the new cogeneration plantfunded 70% by CMS Energy and 30% by DTE Energy Services and builtby Duke/Fluor Daniel should be in operation.

The plant originally was scheduled to go on-line with 550 MWcapacity in mid-2000, but the CMS/DTE joint venture, DearbornIndustrial Generation L.L.C., turned up a spare turbine inWashington State, allowing them to push the in-service date forsome of the power to mid-1999 and up the total capacity to 710 MW.Originally the plant was slated for two gas turbines and a steamturbine. Now there will be three gas turbines. The new power plantwill target other customers besides the auto complex. It will takemore than 100 MMcf/d of gas to fuel the cogen project.

Even though the July in-service date “was an aggressive target,”according to CMS spokesman Kelly Farr, “I think we’re going to haveto move even faster than that. It’s going to be difficult. They’rejust putting in the pilings for the foundation now.” CMS isproviding some emergency steam and hopes to be able to increasesupplies later this week.

Ellen Beswick

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