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PLAINS TWP. — Geisinger officials showed off the new Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center central utility plant on Thursday in a tour for government and business leaders.
The $22 million project will use cogeneration technology to help Geisinger reduce energy consumption by 40 percent, bringing consumption costs down by as much as $1.5 million per year, officials said. The facility is projected to go live in October.
Some key facts, per Geisinger officials:
- Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant utilizes cogeneration technology.
- Entire system is 80 percent efficient.
- Energy consumption will be reduced by 40 percent and consumption costs by as much as $1.5 million per year.
- 1600 horse power gas-powered turbine, similar to a jet engine, generates electricity and generates heat as a byproduct
- In traditional power plants, on 30 percent of heat generated is used. The remaining 70 percent is released into the atmosphere via cooling towers.
- Heat exhaust is converted to steam in a duct burner, which is identical to the after burner in a fighter jet, and that steam is used to heat the hospital as well as conduct several necessary hospital processes like sterilization, humidification and food service.
- A steam turbine chiller cools exhaust during summer months when heat loads are down and provides 900 tons of cost-effective.
- Centrifugal chillers and chilled water storage tank allows for cooling to be made at night (when temperatures and costs are lower) at approximately 1/3 of what it would cost in the daytime.
- Supplemental electricity is still provided by PPL and supplemental heat is provided by on-site boilers.
Thursday’s tour was attended by Mark Grochocki, chief of staff for Senator John Yudichak, Carol Sweeney, of state Rep. Karen Boback’s office, Dennis Malosky and Vijay Teru of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, among other government and business leaders.
Geisinger leadership was represented by Geisinger Northeast President Anthony Aquilina, DO; Facilities Operations Vice President Al Neuner; and Director of Facilities Operations John Herron.