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August 17, 2018 • EPE Related News

El Paso Times: New water-treatment system keeps Montana Power Station running safely

hank Stephanie Lopez the next time you turn on a light switch or enjoy the comfort of your central air on a hot summer day. As a chemical engineer for El Paso Electric, she is helping to make sure that safe, reliable electricity isn’t something you have to think about.

Lopez recently completed her first major project for the company, a back-up reverse osmosis water-treatment system for the Montana Power Station, which borders Fort Bliss about one mile east of El Paso city limits.

While electricity and water seem to be an unlikely pair, power stations actually require water to produce energy and keep the systems running safely and efficiently.

“As a chemical engineer, I oversee the water treatment program at the power plants and assist with any water related projects in order to protect all of our power plant assets,” she said. “This project in particular helps to keep the plant reliable.”

The system that Lopez, one of EPE’s rising young female engineers, put in place is a reverse osmosis system that uses a high-pressure pump and semi-permeable membranes to remove minerals from the water that is used throughout the power station, such as for feed to the boilers and to control the nitrogen oxide emissions on the simple cycle units. If the minerals naturally found in the water supply were to build up in various parts of the system, they could cause corrosion or breakdowns.

The new system took approximately a year from start to finish, and it’s already having a positive impact on the Montana Power Station. Before Lopez’s project was complete, the station had only one reverse osmosis system, so if it broke down or needed to be cleaned, there was no backup.

Thanks to Lopez and her team, it’s now easier to perform scheduled preventative maintenance and cleaning, ensuring continued safe, locally sourced power.

Lopez’s project reduces those potential risks and helps maximize effectivity; now the Montana plant can produce twice as much deionized (filtered) water to be prepared for any possible scenario.

“I really enjoyed the fact that I was able to venture out of the chemical engineering aspect of the project and learn about the mechanical and electrical engineering, and the control side of the project,” said Lopez. “It was a great learning process, and I am glad that the project was a success!”

Lopez, who earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s of science in chemical engineering from Texas Tech University, joined EPE as a full-time chemical engineer in November 2015. Prior to that, she had spent about six months as an intern for EPE. She’s now part of a women’s affinity group at EPE, too. Her career follows her lifelong passion for chemistry, inspired by an aunt and uncle who were chemists.

“It’s been a lot of fun learning this side of chemical engineering and all that goes into it,” said Lopez. “EPE is a really great company to work for. Everyone is really eager to teach and help you succeed.”

Beyond this project, her job entails helping to keep the Montana, Newman and Rio Grande Power Stations up and running.

She is also doing her part to advance the industry as a whole. Lopez was nominated for and accepted onto a power plant and environmental chemistry committee which is hosted by  the Electric Power Research Institute, an independent, nonprofit organization for public interest energy and environmental research.

“We’re really proud to have females stepping up into the engineering roles,” said Nadia Powell, who works in power generation within EPE. “Stephanie has a fantastic educational background and is a quick learner.”

Eventually Lopez would like to implement a water recycling plan for her new system, as a way to maximize the system’s efficiency and minimize the amount of water wasted.

EPE finalized the Montana Power Station in September 2016, as part of the company’s ongoing commitment to invest in the region’s economic growth and serve growing local energy needs. The Montana station’s four generating units are capable of producing enough energy to provide electricity to more than 160,000 homes and add 352 megawatts of efficient, reliable and clean energy to the EPE system. It contains four units, each with an 88-megawatt turbine powered by natural gas. Construction of the project began in June 2014, and the first units were online by April of the following year.

The Montana Power Station uses natural gas, the cleanest fossil fuel available, and it uses the latest cost-effective and efficient generation and the best available environmental control technologies. EPE chose this technology to meet the region’s needs during peak summer usage. The station’s quick-start capabilities also are critical to supporting EPE’s increased development of solar-based power.

Founded in 1901, El Paso Electric is a regional electric utility providing generation, transmission and distribution service to approximately 417,000 retail and wholesale customers in a 10,000 square-mile area of the Rio Grande Valley in West Texas and Southern New Mexico. Its service territory extends from Hatch, New Mexico to Van Horn, Texas.   

For more information on EPE’s energy efficiency programs and renewable efforts, visit epelectric.com.

https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/sponsor-story/el-paso-electric/2018/08/10/new-water-treatment-system-keeps-montana-power-station-running-safely/898347002/