Best Industrial/Manufacturing Project
The $11-million project consisted of the decommissioning of El Segundo powerplant units 1 and 2 to facilitate construction of a new state-of-the-art, combined-cycle, rapid-response, natural gas-fueled and air-cooled powerplant.
The project scope of work included the initial tasks of collecting oils and residuals; abatement of asbestos of the boilers—which produced 1 million lb per hour of steam—and support building; removing above-ground fuel oil transport lines; removal of intake and discharge structures; and decommissioning and recycling of plant components and electrical generating equipment.
The project's preparatory phase required demolition of two lead-based-paint-coated environmental stacks. The bases of these stacks were constructed at an elevation of 90 ft above the mean grade elevation. Using specialized mechanical methods of high-pressure water blasting, the team abated the coatings from the exterior of each stack before commencing the demolition.
Due in part to the location of the stacks within the plant and their proximity to the Pacific Ocean, the team developed and implemented a value-engineered plan for demolishing them using company-owned robotic excavators equipped with water misters and collection equipment.
Key Players
Owner: El Segundo Energy Center, Carlsbad
General Contractor/Construction Management:LVI Facility Services, Orange
Lead Designer: El Segundo Energy Center, Carlsbad
Structural Engineer: SIGMA Engineering, Las Vegas
Submitted by:
LVI Facility Services
