The Turlock Irrigation District’s newest power plant – a cutting-edge natural gas plant using first-in-the-nation technology – was officially dedicated Wednesday before a crowd of legislators, state officials, and TID staff.

The 174 megawatt Almond 2 Power Plant, located in Crows Landing, consists of three natural gas generators sourced from General Electric. The generators are the first of their kind, able to be spun up in just 10 minutes.

The quick-starting plant will be used primarily to rapidly generate electricity when demand spikes, such as on hot summer days, or when wind generation fails to meet demand. TID may also dispatch the plant when electricity costs are high, selling the electricity at a profit to other needy utilities.

The district says the plant will allow TID to operate other generation facilities more effectively, as well as accommodate future customer and/or load growth.

A2PP is also notable for its environmental contributions; the new plant is low-emission, and uses recycled wastewater for cooling.

Construction began on the $200 million plant in March 2011, finishing in March 2012. On-site testing is ongoing.

To view a video about A2PP, visit www.tid.org/news-resources/videos.