Dual-Fuel Combustion Turbine Provides Reliable Power to U.S. Navy Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut

ABSTRACT In keeping with a long-standing tradition of running Base utilities as a business, the U.S. Navy Submarine Base New London installed a dual-fuel combustion turbine with a heat recovery boiler. The 5-megawatt (MW) gas- and oil-fired combustion turbine sits within the Lower Base area, just off the shores of the Thames River. The U.S. Navy owns, operates, and maintains the combined heat and power (CHP) plant, which provides power to the Navy's nuclear submarines when they are in port and to the Navy's training facilities at the Submarine Base. Heat recovered from the turbine is used to produce steam for use in Base housing, medical facilities, and laundries. In FY00, the Navy estimated that it would save over $500,000 per year as a result of the combined heat and power unit. “The ability to peak shave and load curtail provided by the combined heat and power system has proven invaluable.” —Herbert Cummings Director of Utilities, U.S. Navy Submarine Base New London