Turtle Creek Station

Another massive piece of power equipment will soon be making its way to Turtle Creek Station (TCS).

A special heavy haul team is planning to move a large-scale generator to TCS overnight Wednesday, February 4. Generators convert mechanical energy from the turbine to electrical energy. We cannot disclose its current location or route for security reasons. And, with complex moves like this timing is subject to change.

The generator itself weighs 710,411 pounds. Loaded onto the trailer that will haul it, the combined weight is nearly 900,000 pounds. Two trucks are needed to support the trailer. The combined length of the moving equipment is 196-feet – roughly three-fourths the size of a football field – and the height is more than 16-feet.

The slow-going move is happening in the overnight hours to avoid traffic disruptions. OPPD is coordinating the effort with local officials and law enforcement.

More big equipment will be coming to TCS in the coming weeks. OPPD is coordinating nearly a dozen additional heavy haul moves of large equipment to various sites over the next three years.

As the end of 2025 nears, construction to add a third dual-fuel power generator at Turtle Creek Station (TCS) continues at a rapid pace. Here’s what’s happening:

Combustion turbine arrives – Siemens Energy delivered a new 35-foot-long, 560,000-pound turbine to Turtle Creek Station last month. Workers are now creating a temporary cover for the turbine at TCS as crews prepare to install it during the next two years. The new turbine is part of OPPD’s effort to add 2.5 gigawatts of electricity in the next decade to meet the growing demand for power across OPPD’s 13-county territory.

Generation Step-up Unit delivery – As the new year begins, Hyundai Power Transformers will deliver a 517,000-pound Generation Step-up Unit (GSU) to Turtle Creek Station. This large transformer will boost Turtle Creek’s electricity to a high enough voltage, so it can travel through transmission lines with minimal loss. This huge delivery, approximately 20 feet wide and 20 feet tall when loaded on a special heavy-duty transport truck that’s 341 feet long, will arrive during the overnight hours to minimize any disruption to the public nearby.

We’re excited about the progress at TCS, which will make OPPD’s power network ready to meet tomorrow’s needs and provide reliable, resilient power for customers.

OPPD continues to grow its energy portfolio to meet increasing demand and is hitting a major milestone this weekend. A 225-megawatt (MW) combustion turbine will be making its way to TCS as part of an expansion of that natural gas-powered plant.

The F-Class gas turbine is about 35 feet long – roughly the length of a school bus – and weighs about 560,000 pounds – the weight of a Boeing 787 airplane at maximum capacity. It was built over the course of 20 months in Berlin, Germany, and traveled by barge to Houston and then by rail to Gretna, arriving last week. There, it was prepped for the final five-mile stretch via roadways to TCS, 168th Street & Fairview Road.

The specialized heavy haul move will take place overnight to minimize any impacts to the public. It is expected to begin Sunday, Nov. 9, at approximately 10 p.m. and wrap up before 6 a.m. Monday, Nov. 10.

While we cannot disclose the exact route for security reasons, we do want to make motorists in the general area of the plant aware of the move. We expect rolling road closures as the turbine moves at a safe and steady five miles per hour along the route. OPPD and its project parters are working with local and state law enforcement and other entities to coordinate street closures and the temporary lifting of power lines and streetlights as needed.

The new turbine will join two others at the natural gas-powered plant, which began commercial operation in June. With the two existing turbines, the plant is capable of producing up to 450 MW. When the expansion is complete by the end of 2028, it will have a generating capacity of 675 MW.

The expansion of TCS is part of OPPD’s multi-year, billion-plus-dollar investment in infrastructure upgrades to maintain reliable, resilient electric service as energy usage climbs. OPPD expects to coordinate a total of 15 heavy hauls of large equipment like this one over the next three years to bring these large pieces of equipment to various OPPD sites.

Turtle Creek Station is officially operational. Units 1 and 2 are capable of producing 450 MW when at full unit output. Construction of a third turbine at Turtle Creek Station is underway. Read more in the press release here.

Commissioning activities for both units 1 and 2 continue at Turtle Creek Station. First fire on fuel oil on unit 2 was achieved on May 10. As testing and tuning continues, visible emissions may be seen from both stacks.

Some of the tests happening include noise testing. Neighbors may notice sound analyzing equipment set up around the perimeter of the site as noise levels are tested. This equipment is the same that was used in April when sound levels were previously read.

Crews will be resuming testing at Turtle Creek Station the week of April 7, 2025. Since it has been a few weeks since the last run, neighbors may see or hear impacts from the engine as it resumes commissioning. As activities increase, neighbors may notice more noises from the plant or exhaust coming from the stacks as engines are tested and tuned.

While Unit 1 is ahead of Unit 2, progress is happening on Unit 2 commissioning. A major milestone for Unit 2 commissioning will be its first fire on fuel oil which may happen as soon as the week of April 14. With first fire, close neighbors or passersby may see some visible emissions coming out of the stack exhaust at the plant during this time. As the generating units are tested and tuned, exhaust will become less noticeable until it dissipates.

As commissioning activities continue, Turtle Creek Station Unit 1 completed its "First Fire" milestone on fuel oil on Jan.30.

Following first fire, testing and tuning will continue on the unit over the next several weeks. Neighbors may hear or see new things happening, such as smoke or exhaust, or an increased amount of noises coming from the plant. As the turbines are tested and tuned at the varying operating loads, exhaust should become much less noticeable.

First fire activities and additional tuning on Unit 2 should commence later this month.

Turtle Creek Station continues to prepare for operation. As a duel-fueled plant, another major milestone for the plant will take place as early as Jan. 22 with what’s known as “first fire” on fuel oil for Unit 1. The exact date and time first fire on Unit 1 on fuel oil will take place has some fluidity, with many moving pieces that should take place prior to first fire. Unit 2 will complete first fire on fuel oil several weeks after the fuel oil first fire on Unit 1.

Close neighbors or passersby may see some visible black smoke coming out of the stack exhaust at the plant during this time. As the generating units are tested and tuned, exhaust will become much less noticeable until it dissipates .

Following first fire, testing and tuning will continue on the unit over the next several weeks. Neighbors may hear or see new things happening, such as smoke or exhaust, or an increased amount of noises coming from the plant. As the turbines are tested and tuned at the varying operating loads, exhaust should become much less noticeable.