ZLD wastewater equipment for new California power plant

The Russell City Energy Center (RCEC), a new 600 MW natural gas and steam combined-cycle power plant being built in Alameda County, California, will have GE zero liquid discharge (ZLD) wastewater recycling technology.



RCEC is the first power plant in the country to be built under a voluntary agreement with the US Environmental Protection Agency to meet stricter limits on greenhouse gases and other emissions. The plant is expected to enter commercial service in 2013 and supply energy to the San Francisco Bay region.

GE is supplying lead contractor Bechtel with its ZLD system for onsite wastewater treatment and recycling.

“GE’s ZLD technology was selected for the RCEC project after project leaders visited a reference power plant in Orlando, Florida, and observed the effectiveness of that facility’s ZLD system,” said Heiner Markhoff, president and CEO – water and process technologies for GE Power & Water.

 GE’s 400 gal/min (2,180 m³/d) brine concentrator and mixed-salt crystallizer will use a skid-mounted design to help Bechtel reduce field construction costs.

The equipment is scheduled for delivery between the fourth quarter of 2011 and first quarter of 2012.