You asked for background information about the Dayville power plant, particularly whether its generating capacity is as great as its developer originally proposed.

The Lake Road Generating plant in the Dayville section of Killingly is a combined cycle power plant. It and other combined cycle plants recover the heat that is created in the generation process and use it to generate more power. As a result, such plants are more efficient than older plants that do not have heat recovery systems. The plant normally burns natural gas, but can also burn oil.

The plant was originally designed to have a nominal capacity of 792 megawatts, according to Jim Carlton, president of Lake Road Generating Company, LP. The plant received its Siting Council certificate in December 1998 and went into commercial operation in May 2002. In its early years, compressors at the plant had to be replaced, reducing its capacity. However, since 2004, the plant's nominal capacity has been 792 megawatts. Its actual capacity is slightly lower in the summer due to laws of physics, leading to an actual yearly average capacity of 786 megawatts.

Although the plant is located in Connecticut, it is connected with the Rhode Island electric grid, which affects how often the plant runs. The plant's owners, Connecticut Light & Power, and the Independent System Operator-New England (the entity that runs the regional power grid) have been in discussions on improving the plant's connections with the Connecticut grid.

KM: dw