The Shaw Group Inc. announced February 12 it has achieved substantial completion of the new Rodemacher 3 electric generating facility in Louisiana, for Cleco Power LLC, a subsidiary of Cleco Corporation. As part of substantial completion, the circulating fluidized bed (CFB) petcoke-fired power plant was operated at its rated capacity and efficiency and has been released to Cleco for commercial operation.
Shaw was awarded the engineering, procurement and construction contract in August 2005 for two new 330-MW state-of-the-art CFB units supplying high-pressure steam to a single 660-megawatt steam turbine generator. The Rodemacher 3 facility, located near Boyce, La., uses petroleum coke (petcoke) to generate power in an environmentally sound and cost-effective process.
Other significant accomplishments of the new power plant include:
The facility’s ability to burn 100 percent petcoke makes it one of the largest petcoke-fired power plants in the world.
The 1.5-mile pipe conveyor built to transport solid fuel from the barge unloading dock to the coal crusher house is the longest for this type of application in the U.S.
In addition to providing engineering, procurement and construction services for the Rodemacher 3 project, Shaw’s fabrication and manufacturing facilities in Louisiana provided major piping systems, the turbine building and balance-of-plant structural steel for the project.
The project team’s safe work efforts garnered the Voluntary Protection Program STAR site designation from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. This program promotes safe and healthful working conditions and recognizes the outstanding efforts of employers and employees who have achieved exemplary occupational safety and health.
“The state-of-the-art, clean-coal Rodemacher 3 facility demonstrates Shaw’s commitment to employing the most advanced technology available in the industry and to providing environmentally friendly energy solutions while maintaining a safe working environment,” said Fred Buckman, president of Shaw’s Power Group.
“Rodemacher 3 is key to our strategy to be self-sufficient in our power supply and increase our fuel flexibility,” said Mike Madison, president and chief executive officer of Cleco Corporation. “Having the capability to use multiple solid fuels including biomass will help us lower customer fuel costs and give us the potential to use alternative fuels to generate power.”
The Shaw Group Inc. is a leading global provider of engineering, construction, technology, fabrication, remediation and support services for clients in the energy, chemicals, environmental, infrastructure and emergency response industries. A Fortune 500 company with fiscal year 2009 annual revenues of $7.3 billion, Shaw has approximately 28,000 employees around the world.
