Award of Merit, Specialty Contracting: Mohave Generating Station

Contractor Demos Laughlin, Nev. Power Plant in Extreme Heat

Photo courtesy NCM Demolition and Remediation

Demolition, asset recovery and hazardous material abatement began while the 1,580-MW plant was still generating power.

Decommissioning this coal-fired powerplant in Nevada was in some ways more challenging than its original construction. Demolition, asset recovery and hazardous material abatement began while the 1,580-MW plant was still generating power. The contractor hired electricians that had worked at the Mohave plant their entire careers and who were very familiar with the electrical systems. To close up the site's 217 acres of ponds, crews had to relocate 1.4 million cu yd of material to an on-site landfill. Since temperatures often exceeded 120° F, the contractor created a unique heat and stress program with cool-down stations and a designated water monitor who stocked water supplies and even weighed every worker daily to ensure their hydration levels didn't drop.

Key Players

Contractor: NCM Demolition and Remediation, Brea, Calif.

Owner: Southern California Edison, Rosemead, Calif.

Civil Engineer: Bureau Veritas North America, Costa Mesa, Calif.

Plant Maintenance & Grading: FHI Inc., Laughlin, Nev.

Auctioneer: Stewart B. Milner & Associates, Union, Mo.

Submitted by NCM Demolition and Remediation

Blair leads day-to-day operations of the ENR editorial team to ensure brand quality and further best practices. He spearheads ENR's various competitions, including Best Projects and the Award of Excellence, and organizes editorial content at events including the Top Young Professionals conference. A Jesse H. Neal, Construction Media Alliance and AZBEES-award-winning writer and videographer, Blair frequently contributes to ENR’s burgeoning video channel with project tour videos and interviews with industry leaders. He is also a frequent speaker and moderator on topics such as diversity and inclusion, design and jobsite technology, construction means and methods and marketing.