Projects

It is common with project financing deals, particularly during early stages, to underestimate complications beyond the major asset, such as a power plant. The “bankability” of many projects can often be determined through the planning and management of multiple risks beyond the switchyard. These risks include the interconnection and availability of the fuel supply and transmission lines, bottlenecking at the offtaker’s substation, or poor grid interconnectivity. These factors – if not considered early in planning – can hinder effective distribution. 

The 81.8 megawatt Bison I Wind Project was Minnesota Power’s first fully-owned and operated commercial wind project in North Dakota. The project was developed as two separate construction sequences, with the first phase comprising 16 Siemens 2.3 MW turbines, and the second phase 15 3.0 MW wind turbines.

Black & Veatch gives its clients access to a unique group of industry-recognized experts in the electric utility and smart grid industry. Black & Veatch has applied this expertise at Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) to help formulate a smart grid strategy. This plan leverages known technologies and lays a solid foundation for future smart grid capabilities that are critical to the long-term success of the customer-owned utility.

Black & Veatch was awarded the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract to complete a 220 MW simple cycle gas facility in Ghana. Project partners included CMS Generation of Dearborn, Mich., and the Volta River Authority of Ghana.

Margate and Broadstairs, two of the principal towns in northeastern Kent, attract thousands of visitors each summer to enjoy the beaches and countryside within easy reach of London. Such popularity comes with a cost. Infrastructure serving the area needed upgrading to keep pace with the rising population and meet the requirements of new UK and European Union laws.

Black & Veatch drew upon its vast resources to design a major water system in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Assembling a team of experts for the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC), Black & Veatch helped WSSC address economic, environmental and community aspects of a major water conveyance system.

The Columbia River flows through one of the most scenic areas in the Pacific Northwest. The area includes wetlands and significant archeological sites. And it’s home to endangered species. That set of conditions posed a challenge for a large power utility needing to expand. In that setting, Portland General Electric (PGE) faced a tough balancing act – how to meet rising demand while still providing affordable energy to a large, existing customer base. The Oregon power utility needed to add to its generating capacity, but not at the expense of quality service to more than 800,000 existing customers. The sensitive environment only added another degree of complexity to the mix.

The American Electric Power (AEP) Cardinal Power Plant is situated on the Ohio River, near Brilliant, Ohio. The generating station is composed of three coal-fired, steam-electric units. Black & Veatch has helped AEP manage sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions for almost a decade. Unit 2 (600 megawatt) was finished in 2011, and Unit 1 (600 MW) is scheduled for completion in 2012. A flue gas desulfurization (FGD) retrofit for Unit 3 (630 MW) was completed in early 2012.

Black & Veatch and Samsung are performing a major U.S. wireless network upgrade program for Sprint. The program includes plans for deployment of next-generation, multimode base stations at thousands of cell sites in markets from the Pacific Coast to the Great Lakes, including San Francisco, Minneapolis, Indianapolis and Chicago.

When Hurricane Katrina ripped through the U.S. Gulf Coast in August 2005, it left immense devastation in its wake. The damage required the complete restoration of the New Orleans Hurricane Protection System (HPS) – an enormous project. Working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Black & Veatch helped to identify the best way to restore the city’s HPS. The solution did more than restore. It helps the people of New Orleans feel more confident about handling future flood events.

Mexico City is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Its residents require massive amounts of gas and oil to satisfy their growing energy needs. Mexico relies heavily on the oil and gas extracted from the floor of the Gulf of Mexico. Obviously, that presents a big challenge in securing resources. That can generate ripple effects in the nation's economy, sometimes forcing the country to look to foreign energy suppliers in times of need.

A wireless carrier needed to upgrade the lighting on 50 200-foot towers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Wisconsin. The towers featured older strobe lighting and used a mix of 10 different technologies. The changeover from strobes to light-emitting diode (LED) systems would save money over time, standardize inventory and streamline network technology.

The Kerala Water Supply Project is the largest single water supply project in the south-west Indian state of Kerala. The project served to augment and rehabilitate a water supply system in five key areas across the state – Trivandrum, Kozhikode, Pattuvam, Cherthala and Meenad.

Since 2009, Black & Veatch has been working with Central Maine Power (CMP) to implement cyber security and smart grid capabilities. Projects have included replacement of CMP’s enterprise security monitoring system; integration of its advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) program; and development of a customer energy portal.

Electric utilities are facing the need for new, innovative operating solutions as they compete in changing marketplaces. They must be able to assess future needs for fuel supply and how they can most efficiently transport and store natural gas.