Press Releases

New Orleans, LA – Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO) achieves a significant milestone in the progress of the ongoing testing and commissioning of the Power Complex.  

Last week, on September 24th, SWBNO began the 30-day reliability test for Static Frequency Changer 1 (SFC1). During this time, we consider SFC1 to be our primary/day-to-day power source, and we will utilize the SFC in as many scenarios as possible. 

This testing period is critical to ensure reliable performance as we incorporate SFC1 into our power lineup so that we can reduce dependencies on our existing power generation equipment.  

SFC1 provides an additional 22MW during this time, to compliment the 45.5MW of 25-Hz power generation and conversion capacity available from other, existing sources. At peak demand, our system requires 44MW of 25Hz power.

Turbine 5 remains out of service with an anticipated return to service in October, due to extended delivery times from the vendor.  While there are no damages to the turbine itself, our team is working directly with the manufacturer, GE, to troubleshoot and address issues with the control system.

Additionally, the revised schedule to be able utilize the remaining equipment per the contractor is provided below:

• SFC 2: November 2025
• SFC 3: December 2025
• Turbine 7 (T7): Testing and commissioning of T7 is scheduled to begin in October.

SWBNO remains committed to bringing the Power Complex online and will continue to provide updates regarding T5 repairs and Power Complex testing progress.

For our full equipment status visit our Pumping and Power Dashboard: swbno.org/Projects/PumpingAndPower.