The U.S. Capitol Power Plant (CPP) was originally placed in operation in 1910, to supply steam for heating and electricity for the U.S. Capitol Building. In the ensuing years, additional facilities were connected to the CPP, increasing the demands for steam to heat and chilled water to cool the buildings. In 1951, the CPP ceased production of electricity, which was then purchased from the local utility. Currently, the CPP serves 23 facilities on Capitol Hill, including the Capitol, House and Senate Office Buildings, Supreme Court and Library of Congress.
The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) completed a Long Term Strategic Energy Plan for the CPP, which identified cogeneration as the preferred solution for achieving energy savings, reducing environmental impacts, and maintaining a reliable source of chilled water and steam for Congress and the Supreme Court. The planned Cogeneration Plant at the CPP will use natural gas in a combustion turbine in order to efficiently generate both electricity and heat for steam.
The current design calls for the installation of two 7.5 megawatt turbine generator sets and a single 1.7 megawatt steam turbine generator which will produce a total maximum of 16.7 megawatts of electricity.
The design plans for electrical power generated from these units to be used by the CPP facility to produce chilled water and run plant systems.
In the current design, each turbine generator will have a Heat Recovery Steam Generator that will use the hot exhaust from the turbine for the production of steam. The steam production from these systems will meet a significant portion of the CPP’s steam demand.
The new facility will be housed in an existing CPP structure and a new extension. The new facility will include an addition to the south side of the CPP to provide the additional space needed for the new infrastructure. Architecture of the addition will be complimentary to the existing CPP.
