Best of 2006 Awards
Astoria Energy 540 MW Power Plant
BEST OF 2006: Industrial
 It’s difficult enough to finish a $1 billion construction project in less than two years in one of the most expensive labor markets in the country.
But having to keep things quiet at the same time complicates the task even more.
Somehow, the project team building a 540 MW, natural gas-fired power plant in the Astoria district of Queens managed to keep the decibel levels down, while also contending with limited space and time for the construction effort.
A host of contractors and subcontractors joined forces to build the new Astoria Energy plant on a tight 23-acre brownfield next to the Steinway Piano Co. headquarters. The closeness to the piano maker’s tuning rooms required construction workers at the power plant to keep all noise at a minimum.
The team hired a noise control expert to help evaluate every piece of noise-producing equipment. Most equipment ended up in an acoustically engineered enclosure that muted noise levels. The team also used auger cast piling to reduce vibrations and overall noise.
“You don’t see many of these built and they’re very complicated and time-consuming coordination nightmares,” said one of the jurors.
The tight project site required parts and materials to be manufactured elsewhere and shipped from all over the world to Astoria. Nine pipe racks – including a 300- ton unit – were shipped from Los Angeles on an ocean-bound barge. Modular power distribution centers and a modular control room were built in Houston and then shipped piece by piece to New York.
In addition, two heat-recovery steam generators were built in Indonesia and then shipped more than 12,000 mi. through the Panama Canal, across the Atlantic Ocean, and up the East River to the construction site.
“I think that bringing the guts in from Indonesia was brilliant,” added another juror.
The site posed its share of complications because it required the gutting of a former 50-million-gallon bulk fuel oil storage facility and distribution terminal.
The team demolished large storage tanks and distribution piping, though it left two tanks intact to store backup oil reserves that would allow the facility to run on fuel if natural gas weren’t available.
The wet grounds added to the project to-do list, with crews drying out the soil to maintain its structural integrity and thereby limit the amount of backfill imported to the site. To continue construction during the winter, crews used ground thawing equipment to eliminate frost within trenches and foundation subgrades.
The $565 million tab for the plant’s engineering, procurement, and construction contract entailed installation of a 2-2-1 configuration that starts with two combustion turbines powered by natural gas or fuel oil.
The two turbines not only produce electricity but also the heat that powers the next two units in the set-up, a pair of heat recovery steam generators. Those two units then feed into the final part of the train, a single steam turbine that turns another generator, yielding the full 540 MW.
Overall, the project used more than 20,000 cu. yd. of concrete, 61,000 ft. of piping, 2,465 tons of structural steel, and 647,000 ft. of cable. The work finished two months behind an aggressive schedule, with revenue-generating operations starting in May.
“Any power plant you can build in two years deserves an award,” said one of the jurors.
Key Players
Owner: SCS Energy
Engineering-Procurement-Construction Contractor: Shaw-Stone & Webster
Steel: Shaw SSS Fabricators
Concrete, Plumbing: Plaza Construction
Electric: E-J Electric Installation
Mechanical: Durr Mechanical Construction
Systems: Island Instrumentation Systems & Controls |
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