Elk Hills Power - 500 MW Combined Cycle Project - Taft, CA

Elk Hills Power, LLC is jointly owned by Sempra Energy Resources and an Occidental Petroleum subsidiary.

This is a 500 MW combined cycle project in Taft, CA, North of Los Angeles. It consists of two General Electric 7FA combustion turbines in combined cycle. Fuel is natural gas from the Mojave gas pipeline. The project has an extensive raw water treatment system.

Sterling Energy was engaged by Elk Hills Power, LLC to create a world-class facility management organization. Sterling Energy had complete responsibility for delivering a fully functioning business, operating and maintenance team. This team was led by an experienced mobilization manager and was carefully selected and trained to ensure that Elk Hills meets or exceeds all financial and performance milestones.

During the mobilization period, the permanent Plant Managers and Business Managers were engaged and underwent training with their teams. However, they acted under direction of our Mobilization Manager until the facility reached commercial operation. This allowed our Mobilization Managers to apply their specialized skills and freed the permanent managers to devote themselves to learning the plant and preparing their team to take over, without getting caught up in the emotional melee of the construction and startup period.

 

Sterling Energy Services Provided:

 

Business Entity Initiation

• Accounting setup and training
• Revenue and expense modeling
• Management policies
• Administrative procedures
• Procurement program development
• Management reporting
• Business plan and budget preparation
  

O&M Mobilization Services

• Plant management duties
• Team structure and culture
• Recruiting and staffing
• Orientation and indoctrination
• Management systems development
• Sponsorship program
• Personnel qualifications program
• Policies and procedures
• Maintenance management program
• Environmental management plans
• Overall project management support
• Infrastructure development and set-up

Commissioning and Start-up Support

• Balance of plant equipment commissioning program development and management.
• Plant Turnover Package and Punchlist management.
• Startup testing and training support

This essentially identical mobilization scope of work was undertaken, and successfully completed, by Sterling Energy in parallel with two other Sempra Energy Resources projects. This project, the Mesquite Power project near Phoenix, and the Thermoelectrica de Mexicali Project near Mexacali, Mexico all reached commercial operation within a few weeks of one another. All three of these projects have been recognized throughout the power generating industry as being world-class teams setting the standard for reliability and cost effective management.

“We take the privilege of joining a client’s team as an important expression of trust. In all that we do, we promise to respond to that trust with total dedication to the very highest standards of ethical conduct and professional competence”

Location:
   Taft, Ca

Project Description:
   2 X GE 7FA gas turbine combined cycle project

Owner:
   Elk Hills Power

Primary Equipment Supplier:
   General Electric