Groundbreaking for Western Farmers Electric Generating Station Expansion in Anadarko

(The WFEC Board of Trustees attended a groundbreaking ceremony on October 15 in recognition of the two fires
turbine units will be built at the Anadarko plant. Board members include (from left) Mike Lebeda, Ronnie.
Tharpe, Ken Autry, Eric Segovia, Clint Pack, Tyson Littau, Chris McKee, Gene Pence, Brian DeMarcus, Gary Jones, Jeff
Willingham, WFEC CEO Gary Ruhle, Donny Bidegain, John Graham, King Martin, Gary Hiley (Deputy Trustee),
Gene Peters, Jim Hall, David Ray, Gary Olsen (Alternate Trustee), Don Ellis, Chuck Wagner and Heath Sirmons (Altus Air
Power base).

WFEC Board of Trustees, distribution
Cooperative managers, WFEC staff involved
with the project and contractors were on hand
for a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, October 15th,
will be located on the future site of two new GE Vernovas
aircraft generators LM6000VELOX. These
new units will expand the Anadarko plant to 650
megawatts (MW) of capacity.

The new turbines were named Roulet 12 and 13.
in honor of Gary Ruhle, current CEO
WFEC, which will soon celebrate its 50th anniversary
Generation and transmission cooperative. WFEC
The Board of Trustees considered that the names of the divisions were
appropriate since Roulet played an important role
in this project and precisely under his leadership
the project was discussed, planned and will now be
will start soon.

“These are difficult times and Gary
A champion in leading us (the Board of Trustees) in
new age technologies and made us focus on
moving forward,” commented Donny Bidegain,
who is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
“This is a big step forward into the future for
WFEC,” Bidegain commented, adding that this
the project takes care of the members of the cooperative
needs.

Press release
Contact information:
Sondra Boykin
Public Relations Coordinator
Western Farmers Electric Cooperative
405-247-4370 / 405-760-7659
[email protected]
Date: October 18, 2024
An innovative event organized for
Roulette 12 and 13 at the Anadarko plant
Steam units that have served
Anadarko WFEC plant for
will be more than 60 years old
replaced by innovative ones
technology identical
other divisions already existing in
this place. Planning for this
the project is under implementation
several years, with assessment
technologies, engineers and
construction companies.
These aircraft-derived units,
jet engine derivative
technology, be able to
start quickly and build up the pace/
down quickly. This opportunity
important to keep track of the variable
renewable generating assets
like wind turbines and solar
farms that are slightly smaller
predictable by their very nature.
Conversely, LM6000
that rely on clean-burning natural gas will be an excellent addition to a robust WFEC facility.
portfolio of almost 1,000 MW of renewable energy projects already in operation or planned for commissioning
end of the decade.
Bidegain noted that the Council began talking about expanding capacity during the strategic retreat in
March 2023, followed by the joint efforts of employees dedicated to
to this task.
Roulet explained
what is this project
suitable for
Anadarko –
Anadarko plant
– and for WFEC
cooperative
members for
many years to
come. “Our Council
had long-term foresight
construction of new
capacity plus
great vision for
future, guaranteeing
sufficient power,
and high reliability
for rural residents,
at the time when it
necessary”, Roulet
marked.
WFEC CEO Gary Ruhle (third from left) is pictured with members of the WFEC board of directors.
including Jeff Willingham, Vice President; Donnie Bidegain, President; King
Martin, Secretary-Treasurer, and John Graham, Assistant Secretary-Treasurer,
banner with the name of the new facilities that will be built on
Anadarko plant. Construction of this project will begin soon and will be completed.
expected at the end of 2026.
Senior WFEC managers are shown with CEO Gary Ruhle (left) during the groundbreaking project.
On October 15, a ceremony was held at the Anadarko plant to present two new internal combustion turbine units, which
will be built to replace three outdated steam units that were part of the station during
more than 60 years. Managers (from left): Rodney Palesano, vice president of human resources;
Dave Sonntag, vice president of special projects; Justin Soderberg, Vice President, Generation;
Mark Conway, vice president, chief financial officer; and Mark Faulkenberry, Vice President,
Marketing and Member Relations.
WFEC
“Adding two more identical combustion turbines
to the existing five units at the Anadarko plant,
will increase reliability, reduce maintenance costs,
and help keep electricity rates as low as possible for
our distributors,” he said.
“Decommissioning of units 1, 2 and 3 (outdated units that only
worked sparingly and were very inefficient) and use
their existing transmission for blocks 12 and 13, which
are new, efficient and modern, will provide
benefits for cooperative retail customers as soon as possible
because they are commercial,” said Roulet.
“A cooperative model owned by who we are
serve” sends a clear signal to conserve electricity
reliable and affordable,” he noted.
“I appreciate the commitment of the Board of Trustees
to the needs of future generations of our distribution cooperative member-owners,” said Justin
Soderberg, WFEC Vice President for Generations.
WFEC is partnering with Sargent & Lundy.
as an extension engineer for Roulette
Blocks 12 and 13. Sargent & Lundy worked
hand in hand with WFEC staff when selecting
appropriate technologies for these new units and
development of turbine specifications.
G.E. Vernova is declared the winner
Bidder, with the development of engineering,
WFEC CEO Gary Ruhle is pictured holding a banner.
designation of two new internal combustion turbines, which
will be built at the Anadarko plant, which will be named
Rolls 12 and 13. The Board of Trustees considered that the name
these units were appropriate since Roulet was
played an important role in this project and it is under his leadership
that the project was discussed, planned and will now be
will start soon.
Procurement and Construction Contract (EPC)
specification and subsequent selection of Fagen,
Inc. as an EPC contractor.
Construction of new facilities will begin in
end of 2024 and finish at the end of 2026. At the peak
construction, Fagen will have about 90
construction workers at the Anadarko plant.
Watch the breakthrough video
event by clicking here.
Artistic interpretation
Roulette 12 and 13 in
Anadarko