UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Starting on Monday, June 28, and continuing intermittently throughout July and August, the West Campus Steam Plant will undergo planned performance tests. These tests may cause large plumes of exhausted steam to exit the facility’s stacks, as well as cause louder-than-normal noises at the plant. The testing is part of the new combustion turbine and heat recovery steam generator that is currently being installed at the facility. 

The new 41-foot long turbine, with the ability to recover and reuse its own generated heat, will help reduce the University’s annual greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 16,000 tons per year, save the University approximately 10% on energy costs, and provide roughly 20% of University Park’s annual electrical demand and 30% of steam requirements. 

Once the West Campus Steam Plant passes all necessary testing requirements, the new turbine is scheduled to begin generating steam and heat later this summer.