Graycor Industrial Constructors was contracted with Sargent and Lundy (engineer) to complete environmental upgrades to a series of coal-fired plants owned by Alliant Energy. In total, four generating units at three of Alliant’s Midwest plants will receive emission reduction upgrades. The improvements, related to air quality control systems (ACQS), will reduce mercury and fine particulate matter emissions and support compliance with the federal Mercury Air and Toxics Standards (MATS) rule.

Graycor Industrial is well accustomed to completing multiple projects for a client across the U.S. Recently, the company completed a major emission control project for Alliant Energy at the Edgewater Generating Station in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Work included installation of a selective catalytic reduction system (SCR) that was named a finalist for the prestigious 2013 Platts Global Energy Award. With the next round of ACQS projects at Alliant Energy, Graycor is working closely with local trades and equipment manufacturers to complete these compliance-driven environmental upgrades at generating stations in Iowa and Wisconsin. This work has included foundations, piping, conduit and cabling, air and water systems, equipment skids incorporating blowers and pumps, distributed control system (DCS) interface controls and the offload and setting of storage silos and tanks. With each of these complex projects, scheduling and coordination among project participants have been key components of success.

At the Burlington Generating Station in Burlington, Iowa, teams installed activated carbon injection (ACI) systems, calcium bromide chemical feed systems and liquid flue gas conditioning (LFGC) equipment. Lasting six months, the project also included construction of a pre-engineered building and associated HVAC as well as the removal of electrostatic precipitator (ESP) inlet nozzles and replacement of this equipment by a new ESP inlet duct arrangement that included 120 tons of new ductwork completed incident-free and ahead of schedule.

At the Prairie Creek Generating Station in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, work on environmental upgrades was recently completed on units 3 and 4. This project’s scope of work included the installation of an ACI system, calcium bromide and LFGC equipment, a pre-engineered building and HVAC systems. At Alliant’s Edgewater Generating Station in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Graycor teams are back on site working on the installation of a LFGC system. This project has an expected completion date in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Tom Gore, Senior Vice President of Graycor Industrial Constructors, stated, “We are keeping a close watch on the constantly evolving air quality regulations that power producers are being faced with today. Graycor’s strong resume of environmental retrofit projects has helped our teams to develop a high level of expertise and a safety-focused work culture that is second to none. We are proud to help companies like Alliant Energy keep their fleet compliant with the requirements set by federal and state agencies while at the same time answering the call to reduce emissions.”