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Start 3: Port Washington Generating Station
Cost: $650 million
Upgrades at the Port Washington Generating
Station in Wisconsin are the first elements of the comprehensive
Power the Future initiative.
The initiative is a $7 billion energy-producing development
started by We Energies, the primary utility subsidiary of
holding company Wisconsin Energy Corp. in Milwaukee.
A looming energy shortage is driving Power the Future.
More energy is needed based on growth predictions, and old,
outdated facilities need replacement.
About $3 billion in new generation will expand We Energies'
capacity from about 6,000 MW to approximately 8,300 MW.
At Port Washington, which is about 35 mi. north of Milwaukee,
the five coal-based generating units will be replaced with
two combined-cycle natural-gas-fired power blocks. Combustion
turbines will be installed, and the exhaust gas will go to
heat-recovery boilers that produce steam to turn generators.
Two coal units have been knocked down, and demolition of the
remainder will start this fall. The first coal unit was put
on line in 1935.
Logistics Issues
The constrained site has affected the project logistics:
The town is to the north and west, Lake Michigan is to the
east and a bluff and overflow channel to the south.
The crew looked toward the water. Vessels on the Mississippi
River and Lake Michigan were used to deliver materials and
components, including stacks, ductwork and boilers. Some materials
were off-loaded in Milwaukee and taken via barge to the plant
where a crane on the existing coal dock was used for unloading.
Each of the two boilers, which were manufactured in Indonesia,
was shipped modularly, with the biggest piece weighing 250
tons.
The balance for the initiative's generation element will provide
for two coal-fired units at the Oak Creek Power Plant, which
is 10 mi. south of Milwaukee. That project will start in March
2005.
Other Project Elements
In addition to new generation, Power the Future will include
$2.7 billion in transmission upgrades, including adding more
than a dozen substations and "miles" of power lines.
And, about $1.3 billion will go toward upgrading existing
facilities with selective catalytic reduction units and scrubbers.
The SCRs are designed to provide cleaner-than-normal emissions
produced by coal-fired turbines.
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Key
Players
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Owner:
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We Power LLC, Milwaukee
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Engineer, Procure and Construct:
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Washington Group International Inc., Boise, Idaho
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General Contractor:
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Wisconsin Power Constructors LLC, Port Washington,
Wis.
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