EnWave USA’s new Biomedical District Steam Plant accomplishes a major goal of disaster preparedness planning in New Orleans in the wake of the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. This new district energy plant, designed and built by the Burns & McDonnell team, supplies steam to the New Orleans biomedical district, home of the new University Medical Center, along with other health care and educational facilities. All essential operating equipment is located on or above the second floor, well above the Hurricane Katrina flood plain.

The 26,000-sq-ft plant enables the medical center’s Level 1 trauma center and other facilities to maintain operations for up to seven days without electricity, natural gas or water service.

Coordination among the project team and local entities helped alleviate safety concerns related to the tightly constrained site and the downtown area, including planning for proximity to sensitive hospital operations that required extensive noise-level management.

Enwave USA Biomedical District Steam Plant

New Orleans

Key Players
Owner Brookfield District Energy USA LLC
Lead Design Firm/General Contractor Burns & McDonnell