Black & Veatch receives combined cycle project contract

Black & Veatch has received a contract to provide engineering services for the installation of a $400m combined cycle gas power unit in Oklahoma, US, for the Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA), the Oklahoma's state-owned electric utility that provides power to municipal utilities.

The project will feature a Mitsubishi Heavy Industry J-series combustion turbine, which will be the first advanced technology to be installed in the Western Hemisphere, to make the plant the most efficient combined cycle generator in the US.

Black & Veatch will provide permitting and engineering, construction and procurement-related services for the project.

The company is also offering engineering services for retrofitting emissions controls on the coal-fired Unit 2, which is slated for completion in the spring of 2016.

Being built alongside two existing coal-fired units around 35 miles east of Tulsa, the new Unit 3 at the Grand River Energy Center can produce 495MW of electricity while reducing air emissions with a highly efficient operation.

GRDA chief executive officer/director of investments Dan Sullivan said that the project is a milestone for the GRDA by diversifying generation portfolio and leveraging Oklahoma's natural gas reserves.

"Black & Veatch was selected following a vigorous evaluation process in which it was determined they could best meet our objectives. In addition, the company has a long history with GRDA in delivering high-quality engineering services and counsel on industry issues," Sullivan added.

Scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2017, the Unit 3 comprises a new unit substation being designed by Black & Veatch.
Black & Veatch Energy business president and CEO Dean Oskvig said, "We will deliver this project in support of GRDA's efforts to provide customers with cost-effective clean energy."