Business Feb. 10, 2012 - 04:06AM JST ( 1 )

TOKYO —

Toshiba Corp, one of the world’s leading suppliers of thermal power generation equipment, announced Thursday that it has won a major contract from Fluor, the U.S. engineering and construction company, to supply a 195-megawatt steam turbine and generator for a natural gas-fired combined cycle power plant.

The plant will be constructed by Fluor for the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) near Marble Falls, Texas, and will replace the aging Thomas C Ferguson Power Plant with one of the most efficient, reliable and environmentally responsible electric generating facilities operating in Texas. Equipment supply from Toshiba is scheduled to start in August 2013 and the plant is expected to start operation in 2014.

The turbine and generator contract was awarded to Toshiba on the basis of the company’s supply record, advanced technical capabilities, equipment reliability and competitive delivery schedule.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to release new standards on airborne emissions of mercury and toxins from power plants in December 2012, a move that is expected to encourage replacement of aging plants with more efficient plants powered by fossil fuels of shale gas. These new generation plants burn 30 to 40% less fuel to generate the same electricity as older plants and release less carbon dioxide and particulate matter. The new Ferguson plant will drive forward this trend by installing a natural-gas fired plant.