Zachry Begins EPC Efforts on Piedmont Green Power Plant

Zachry Begins EPC Efforts on Piedmont Green Power Plant
while biomass industry heats up
As the country seeks a clean energy solution to offset CO₂ emissions, developers have turned to biomass fired power plants as one viable alternative to traditional baseload generation such as coal and natural gas. One such developer, Rollcast Energy, has chosen longtime industry leader Zachry Holdings Inc. to engineer, procure, construct, and commission their Piedmont Green Power Plant facility, which once completed will power 40,000 homes.

Piedmont adds megawatts
The 53.5-MW plant, sited in the Barnesville, Georgia, Industrial Park, will use wood byproducts such as tree trimmings, wood chips, and pulp and paper waste while providing carbon-neutral power. The woody biomass plant will only use fuel sources within 50 to 75 miles of the site. The area has been approved for a fuel sustainability of approximately 30 years.
    "It's a solid fuel plant," said Alison Cochrane, Zachry Engineering vice president. "It provides an efficient and economical way to turn wood into energy."
    Woody biomass is considered to be carbon-neutral based on the CO₂ that a tree has taken in throughout its lifetime. Also, the emissions that are released when the wood is processed into energy are thought to contain the same amount of CO₂ as if the tree died naturally, only accelerated at a faster pace.
    The plant design and construction is similar to that of traditional coal or gas plants, as it uses combustion boilers and emission-control technology present in most power plants. The difference lies in the type of boiler used, a bubbling fluidized bed boiler.
    "Biomass plants are similar to conventional fossil fuel power plants from system design to procurement and construction," said Larry Ward, Zachry project executive. "It is simply a different type of fuel, and because we have decades of experience building conventional power plants and specific design experience in biomass, we are well-suited to design, construct, and start up biomass power plants."
    There are three types of boilers used in biomass power plant construction including stoker-fired, bubbling fluidized bed, and circulating fluidized bed. Stoker-fired boilers typically cost less to install, but bubbling and circulation fluidized bed boilers offer greater flexibility.
    "The technology that will be used on the Piedmont Green Power Project will take the latest in emission-control and biomass-fired boilers to create a cost effective plant with a long life cycle," Ward said. "The bubbling fluidized bed boiler allows the plant to convert renewable woody biomass to electrical energy, and being a renewable fuel, provides increased regional employment through the local procurement and transportation of the biomass product."
    The project is slated to begin engineering once financing is secured, and construction will begin about four months after notice to proceed. The completion date is slated for the third quarter of 2012.

Zachry, a leader in biomass
The engineering and construction of biomass is nothing new to Zachry who has led the power industry in conventional power generation construction for more than 85 years and built the largest U.S. constructed biomass plant in Hurt, Virginia.
    Zachry Engineering is also designing the largest biomass plant to date, a 100-MW plant in Nacogdoches, Texas. Zachry Engineering has more than 30 years of experience designing 640 megawatts in biomass. Zachry plans to bring their engineering and construction capabilities together on Piedmont in a full EPC effort. This is their first full EPC biomass project since engineering was officially added to the company's capabilities.
    "By bringing together engineering, procurement, and construction under one roof, we are able to take advantage of the same procedures,  processes, and tools to complete fast-track projects," Cochrane said. "We can now offer full EPC capabilities to biomass customers."
    With their in-house engineering firm, Zachry is able to easily communicate throughout the engineering process to fulfill their goal of a construction-driven design.  Zachry Execution Planning Process (ZPEPP^(r)) and multiple office locations allow the effective execution of complete EPC services.
    "The industry sees us as a leader," Cochrane said. "With our engineering experience and construction skills, we can provide engineering, procurement, and construction, either separately or together. Zachry has a lot to offer the marketplace."
    To continue to gain a strong share in the market, Zachry has created a team focused on the renewable market and continues to research and follow trends in biomass and other clean energy alternatives.
    "Zachry has been preparing for some time to gain market share in the future of renewables," said Barry Richey, senior vice president--renewable/process sector of Zachry Engineering. "We are focused on the biomass industry, and are working to position Zachry to continue as a leader in renewable power."

Renewable energy gaining speed
Despite the economic downturn, the power industry is adapting to meet future capacity demands and turning to renewables as a major source of energy. Renewables led project announcements in 2009 even with a 20,000-MW drop in total capacity announcements from the previous year.
    "In 2009, there was a much greater interest in the development and permitting of renewable projects," Richey said. "Interest today is at its highest level ever."
    Renewable megawatts announced in 2009 reached 65,293--a 17 percent rise from 2008 announcements. Renewable projects accounted for a whopping 77 percent of total new capacity announcements in 2009, climbing from their 53 percent position in 2008.
    Renewable projects began gaining momentum years ago, but with government incentives, renewable standards, and environmental concerns, renewables are quickly growing. Currently, renewables make up 15 percent of the power industry.
    "The main driver is the state Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), which target the percentage of electricity that must be generated by renewable sources, so far enacted by 35 states--a few with requirements as high as 30 percent," Richey said. "In addition, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provides grants or tax credits for renewable projects, and the DOE has guaranteed loan programs." 
    Even with renewable incentives, the market has been criticized because of its high price tag. Biomass though, remains the cheapest renewable energy source to build, and its popularity is gaining.
    The Energy information Administration (EIA) has forecasted a ten percent increase in biomass over the next three years. Although it currently makes up only four percent of the power market, about 3,200 megawatts of biomass are planned.
    "There is a growing political and popular interest in increasing our renewable power usage to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gases," Richey said. "The increase in renewable projects began with the expansion of ethanol and biodiesel plants. The focus now seems to be targeting biomass power."

Biomass, clean and reliable
Part of the reason that biomass is gaining popularity is its versatility in fuel source, renewable feedstock, and baseload capacity features. With current economic and environmental concerns, renewable energy, including biomass, has surged.
    "We need a mix of energy in the United States," Cochrane said. "With biomass, there is a breadth of fuel available in renewable forms. From wood and ag waste to garbage and poultry bedding, biomass allows for various options."
    And unlike coal and gas, many of the emissions from biomass plants are considered carbon-neutral, lending to a more environmentally friendly energy source. Other renewables such as solar and wind limit CO2 emissions, but lack the ability to create fuel constantly as a baseload design.
    "Biomass plants can run both day and night, every day," Cochrane said. "Unlike solar and wind, which can only create energy during certain times of the day or certain days of the year, biomass plants can operate continuously; they are not weather dependent."
    With its continuous energy capabilities and strong support, biomass looks to be a major player in the overall power portfolio--something Zachry has not ignored. They intend to continue to plan, build, and renew across the renewable spectrum, while leveraging a firm reputation in the power industry.
    "We've been building in the power market for decades," said Steve Brauer, Zachry construction group president. "As biomass emerges as an important energy source in the country, Zachry is prepared to use our knowledge in the industry to design and build highly effective biomass units that use domestic renewable resources and create much-needed capacity."