Harrisburg System Profile

The Harrisburg district energy system traces its origins to a local steam business founded in 1887. After several consolidations, the operation was purchased in 1929 by Pennsylvania Power and Light and in 1985, by Harrisburg Steam Works. In 1986, the Steam Works added 12 MW of cogeneration (combined heat and power) and, in 1997, a 2,400-ton chilled-water plant, which was expanded to 3,600 tons in 2009. The system was purchased by NRG Thermal in 2000.

Since the mid-1980s, Harrisburg has experienced a renaissance of its downtown area. During this time, we have grown along with the city, adding the majority of newly constructed buildings as customers to our system.

Services provided: Steam for space heating, domestic hot water heating, humidification and industrial processes. We also repair and maintain customer steam equipment and help customers develop annual steam budgets.

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Area served: 1 square mile of Harrisburg’s central business district.

Buildings on system: District heating, nearly 200 customers; district cooling to both the PinnacleHealth System's Harrisburg Hospital and the Dauphin County Courthouse complexes.

Building space served: 10 million square feet.

Total overall system capacity: 450,000 lb/hr of steam and 3,600 tons of cooling (close to 10 million ton-hours annual chilled-water sales).

Plants:
Bruce Mangione Steam Plant. Ninth and Walnut streets. Equipped with four gas- and oil-fired boilers: three produce 135,000 lb/hr of steam, one produces 40,000 lb/hr. Steam produced at this plant is supplemented, when available, by low-cost steam purchased from the Paxton Creek Cogeneration Plant.

Paxton Creek Cogeneration Plant. Adjacent to Bruce Mangione Steam Plant. Operates as NRG Energy Center Paxton LLC, a merchant plant owned by parent company NRG Thermal LLC. Contains two 6-MW diesel generators with heat-recovery boilers capable of producing a total of 18,000 lb/hr of steam for sale to the Energy Center’s steam business. The plant also generates electricity for sale into the PJM grid.

Chilled-water plant. South Second Street. Operates under NRG Harrisburg Cooling LLC. Houses three 1,200-ton electric-driven chillers.

Distribution network: 7 miles of steam pipe and 724 trench feet of chilled water piping.

Additional notes: NRG Energy Services, also in Harrisburg, encompasses a large-bore diesel engine service business offering nationwide repair and sales of parts.