Walter M. Higgins Generating Plant

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Owned by Nevada Energy and producing 530MW of power, the Walter M. Higgins Generating Station is a clean-burning natural gas-fueled power plant located in Southern Nevada near the California border. The plant utilizes two highly efficient Westinghouse 501FD combustion turbines to produce electricity. Additionally, the exhaust from the two turbines is recycled to produce steam for an Alstom STF30C steam turbine to make additional electricity for NV Energy customers.

The plant went into service in 2004. Unlike conventional power plants that use substantial amounts of water for cooling, the Higgins Station uses a six-story-high dry cooling system. Similar to a car radiator, 40 massive fans (34 feet in diameter) are used to condense the steam and cool plant equipment.