Photo Courtesy of Duke Energy Renewables Wind project got under way in Kansas (above) and Minnesota (below) last year. More are set for 2013. Photo Courtesy of Dennis Schwartz/Mortenson Construction Related Links: Ohio High Court Approves Wind Farm Project Advance Wind-farm construction in the U.S. nearly ground to a halt after ending in a frenzy late last year. But the pace of turbine installation is set to pick up substantially later this year, largely thanks to the recently enacted extension of the federal production tax credit, say utility and wind-sector experts.Frank Maisano, an energy specialist at Bracewell & Giuliani, a
Related Links: Mississippi Blues; When the Water Doesn't Run (NPR) Corps Praised for Averting Mississippi River Shipping Shutdown (Washington Post) Extraordinarily low water levels in the middle reaches of the Mississippi River have complicated barge service and forced companies that supply, deliver and use aggregate and other barge-delivered construction materials to scramble and get creative, sources at those companies said last week.Still, they said that, in nearly all cases, construction contractors have been able to secure required materials when they are needed and that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is doing all it can to maintain acceptable water levels
Courtesy of Southern Co. Report notes schedule, budget snares at Kemper IGCC project. Related Links: Mississippi Power Replaces KBR and Yates on Big Coal-Gas Project Vogtle Suppliers Continue to Miss the Mark for Quality Control Two Southern Co. subsidiaries are grappling with cost pressures, possible start-up delays and criticism of its management at two of the largest power-related construction projects now under way in the U.S.Mississippi Power's 582-MW integrated gasification combined-cycle project in Kemper County, Miss., will be the nation's first IGCC plant to capture most of the carbon dioxide generated during gasification; Georgia Power's two-unit, 2,200-Mw expansion of the
Florida Power & Light on Dec. 19 will issue a request for proposals to develop one or both parts of a planned 700-mile, multibillion-dollar natural gas pipeline, FPL said Dec. 10.
Fixing the damaged reinforced-concrete containment building at the long-idled Crystal River-3 nuclear unit in Citrus County, Fla., will cost more than the $1.3 billion originally estimated by Progress Energy Florida and take longer than the utility's original 24- to 30-month estimate. Under a "worst-case scenario," repair costs could skyrocket to more than $3.4 billion and the schedule could balloon to eight years, a consultant to Progress Energy's corporate parent, Duke Energy, said on Sept. 30. Photo courtesy Progress Energy Florida A report by Zapata Engineering, commissioned by Duke Energy, states that the cost to repair the idled Crystal River nuclear
Fixing the damaged reinforced-concrete containment building at the long-idled Crystal River-3 nuclear unit in Florida will cost more than the $1.3 billion estimated by Progress Energy Florida and take longer than the utility's original 24- to 30-month estimate.
Related Links: Coal Power for Mississippi, But $2.9-Billion Cost Cap Set Costs Soar for Mississippi Lignite Project A joint venture of KBR and Yates Construction is out as the primary builder of the Mississippi Power Co.'s $2.88-billion Kemper County integrated gasification combined-cycle project, and Performance Contractors is in, as the owner moves to rein in the project's costs.Mississippi Power "has changed its execution strategy" for the Kemper IGCC project and determined it would be better for Baton Rouge, La.-based Performance Contracting to be the lead constructor as the project starts ramping up to its busiest phase, says Mississippi Power spokesman
A rising cost estimate for Mississippi Power's integrated gasification combined-cycle project has rattled the state's utility regulators, but the Southern Co. subsidiary is standing firm on its plan to complete the project on which 2,000 craftsmen and other workers are now employed.
Photo Courtesy of FPL Florida Power & Light says Turkey Point uprates will run $600 million above earlier estimates, but with the and Port St. Lucie plant upgrade will generate 40 MW more than previously forecast. Photo Courtesy of FPL Florida Power & Light says Port St. Lucie uprates will run $600 million above earlier estimates, but with the Turkey Point plant upgrade will generate 40 MW more than previously forecast. Related Links: Florida Utility Plant To Harness Solar Power With Natural Gas Florida, Progress Energy Reach Fix Plan for Crystal River The estimated cost of uprating Florida Power &
Building a series of new sediment-diversion structures the lower Mississippi River delta that would be opened during floods to "pulse" large volumes of sediment into eroding parts of southern Louisiana would be an excellent and worthwhile use of limited federal dollars, a group of engineers and coastal scientists said in a report issued in mid-April.