CH2M HILL Achieves Substantial Completion of New 635-MW Power Plant in New York

CH2M HILLachieved substantial completion of the new $700 million state of the art, environmentally-friendly Combined Cycle Power Plant for Empire Generating Co, LLC on August 31, 2010.  CH2M HILL was the EPC Contractor for the new plant which generates 535 megawatts (MW) base load and can provide peaking power, when needed for high demand, up to 635 MW, enough power for approximately 700,000 homes.   The plant is located about 150 miles north of New York City in Rensselaer, New York, directly adjacent to the Hudson River and sited on the former BASF dye-making factory property, a former Brownfield site remediated as part of the project. 

 

The plant is located in Zone F of the New York Independent System Operator (“NYISO”) regional power market.  To achieve substantial completion, the power plant operated at full load at its rated capacity and efficiency.  The plant also achieved the contractual reliability, emissions, effluent water and noise requirements.  The plant is now released for commercial operation and is one of the cleanest and lowest noise producers of comparable plants throughout the country.

 

The new power station includes two GE 7FA dual fuel combustion turbines, two Alstom three-pressure heat recovery steam generators, one GE D-11 reheat steam turbine, an eleven cell GEA cooling tower and on-site water treatment facility. The plant is primarily fueled by natural gas and is also capable of running on low sulfur fuel oil. The combustion turbines and the steam turbine are enclosed in a building.  The project also included the construction of a 345 kV switchyard, 8 miles of 345 kV transmission line, a 16-inch diameter gas line for 4.5 miles, a low noise and plume-abated cooling tower, a 28-inch diameter grey water pipeline under the Hudson River from Albany County’s sewage treatment facility and a submerged effluent outfall structure in the Hudson River, all this work being within CH2M HILL’s scope.  The construction workforce peaked at over 550 personnel.

 

The project delivered multiple and significant economic benefits to the region including the creation of construction jobs and permanent jobs for operations, payment of state and local taxes and the additional and continuing economic benefits related to the construction and operation of the facility.

Headquartered in Denver, Colo., employee-owned CH2M HILL is a global leader in consulting, design, design-build, operations and program management for government, civil, industrial and energy clients. With $6.3 billion in revenue and 23,500 employees, CH2M HILL is an industry-leading program management, construction management and design firm, as ranked by Engineering News-Record (2010). The firm’s work is concentrated in the areas of water, transportation, environmental, energy and power, and facilities and infrastructure. The firm has long been recognized as a most-admired company and leading employer. Visit www.ch2mhill.com.