International energy company, TransAlta Corporation, recently celebrated the "on time and on budget" completion of their 248-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant in Centralia, WA. The joint venture of BMW-Pilchuck Constructors and D & G Mechanical served as the project’s construction manager.

The dedication included acknowledgements by Congressman Brian Baird, Steve Snyder (TransAlta president/CEO), Linda Chambers (president of TransAlta Centralia LLC), and Al Link (secretary/treasurer WA State Labor Council AFL-CIO).

Known as the "Big Hanaford Project," the $210 million job was constructed near TransAlta’s 1,400 MW coal-fired power plant -- the largest in the region. Combined, they can serve approximately 1.7 million homes with electricity.

One project challenge involved the tight site constraints. Virtually every section of real estate was used for material/equipment lay down area, parking, and construction trailers. In addition, the project, which was originally slated for two years, was completed in just 14 months. According to Darin Watson (TransAlta’s "Big Hanaford" Project Manager),

The project included four natural gas-fired GE LM6000 turbines, four Once Through Steam Generators (OTSGs), and one 80 MW condensing steam generator turbine. The OSTGs captures exhaust heat from the gas turbines to generate steam to drive the steam turbine generator. The work also included water treatment systems, water storage, all mechanical/electrical systems, and the civil work. The electrical energy being produced is transmitted to two 500K/13.8KV step-up transformers.