In May 2007, when South African utility Eskom broke ground on Medupi, the country’s first new powerplant since the 1980s, in some cases it was business as usual. The generating station would be coal-fired, sited next to the supplying mine and—with a 4,800-MW rated capacity—immense. Medupi, by far the largest powerplant under construction in Africa, will be one of the largest in the world upon completion. It will account for about 11% of South Africa’s electricity generating capacity. Kusile, another new plant with a commissioning schedule about 18 months behind Medupi’s, has an identical “six-pack configuration,” with six identical 800-MW

GDF Suez, the French-based utility, has awarded Foster Wheeler AG’s Global Power Group a contract to design, supply and erect a 190-MW biomass powerplant. The circulating fluidized-bed boiler island will be located at the Polaniec Power Station, about 60 miles northeast of Krakow. Foster Wheeler will design and supply the steam generator and auxiliary equipment as well as provide the civil works, erection and commissioning of the boiler island. The firm says it will be the world’s largest biomass boiler burning wood residues and up to 20% agricultural biomass but neither coal nor natural gas. The contract’s value was not

In April, floods and mudslides killed 249 people in Rio de Janeiro and the outlying metropolitan area, according to fire department officials. Even in a country accustomed to heavy rainfall, flash floods and mudslides, the loss of life was unprecendented, according to Brazilian reports. Photo: O Empreiteiro Slides claimed lives and property in areas where officials ignored illegal construction for years. Niterói city had the highest toll: 164 dead, many of whom were killede in slides. Forty-eight bodies have been recovered. In Niterói's Morro do Bumba district, houses were built illegally on top of a garbage dump that was supposed

Photo: Luetta Callaway Southern Nevada’s Water Authority recently unveiled its newest megamachine: a $25-million custom-made hybrid tunneling-boring machine that operates in both the open and closed positions, meaning the drill face is pressurized for more efficient ground and water control. It took Schwanau, Germany-based Herrenknecht AG 17 months to design and manufacture the 1,500-ton, 600-ft-long TBM, which is being used as part of the third raw-water intake tunnel project at Lake Mead. The additional straw is needed since lake levels have dipped 110 ft since 2000, leaving it at half capacity. In March 2008, SNWA awarded a $447-million design-build contract

The British Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo 2010, an event devoted to scientific and cultural exchange, recently opened its doors to curious visitors. Known as the Seed Cathedral, the 20- meter-square structure features 60,000 transparent acrylic rods that extend outward and downward and quiver in a breeze. The end of every rod contains seeds of different plant species from the Kew Millennium Seed Bank. The rods, serving as fiber-optic filaments, bring in daylight to illuminate the interior exhibit space. The unusual pavilion was designed by Heatherwick Studio, based in London. Heatherwick partnered with the Mace Group on the construction.

The U.S Army Corps unveiled a $1.7-billion, 10-year plan this week to restore the ailing Anacostia River in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area to health. U.S. officials brief public on river cleanup. The plan, two years in the making, identifies 3,000 projects to help restore the severely polluted river and watershed spanning 176 sq miles of land through a combination of stormwater controls, stream restoration, wetland creation and restoration, fish blockage removal, reforestation and controlling trash and chemical contamination “Now we can begin even more aggressive action to clean up the Anacostia River,” said U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer

British Columbia will move forward with the development of a new, 900-MW, $6.6-billion hydroelectric project on the Peace River in the province’s eastern section, Premier Gordon Campbell announced on April 19. As currently designed, the earthfill Site C dam would be 1,100 meters long, with 300 meters of concrete structures located on the right bank for the spillway and power intakes. The Sierra Club of British Columbia criticized the decision on the dam, calling it an “ill-advised” mega-project that fails to meet minimum international standards for large dam construction.

Whitestone, N.Y.-based Skanska USA Civil was the apparent low bidder to replace the southernmost 1-mile leg of Seattle’s state Route 99 Alaskan Way Viaduct—the first portion of a larger project. The bids, opened on April 14, are for work near Seattle’s sports stadiums and shipping port. The $114.57-million bid was 25% under the Washington State Dept. of Transportation engineer’s estimate. The project will begin this summer with removal of elevated viaduct sections.

Washington state Dept. of Transportation (WsDOT) officials hope to finalize designs this summer for a 2.3-mile section of the $4.65-billion, 12.8-mile state Route 520 corridor improvement project, in Seattle, which includes the world’s longest floating pontoon bridge. Photo: Washington State Dept. of Transportation Project floating along On-site work is under way for new pontoon construction (above), which is part of the expanded Washington state corridor (below) connecting Seattle to points east. + Image WsDOT is working with the City of Seattle, the University of Washington, King County Metro and Sound Transit on design decisions regarding the westside section of the

French energy company GDF Suez has won two long-term energy-supply contracts worth $600 million for Peruvian powerplants. The company, through its subsidiary Enersur SA, will construct the 112-MW Quitarasca I hydroelectric plant in the northern highlands and upgrade the existing ChilcaUno thermal powerplant from 270 MW to 800 MW. The contracts, signed on April 14, run from 2013 until 2025.