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Kansas City Power & Light Installing SCR at La Cygne Generating Station

Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L), a subsidiary of Great Plains Energy, has awarded The Babcock & Wilcox Company (B&W) a contract for the installation of new emissions control equipment on Unit 1 at its La Cygne Generating Station. When completed, the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system will significantly reduce plant emissions and improve air quality in the Kansas City area. "Community focus is a core component of our strategy," said Mike Chesser, chairman and CEO of Great Plains Energy. "We are proud to be contributing to the efforts to improve the region’s air quality by fast-tracking this project well in advance of regulatory requirements." B&W will engineer, procure, and construct the SCR system.

The upgrade is scheduled for completion by May 2007, well in advance of regulatory requirements. This project is part of KCP&L’s $272 million environmental investment in its Comprehensive Energy Plan. According to KCP&L, the Comprehensive Energy Plan will ensure the continued supply of affordable and reliable energy in an environmentally responsible manner for decades to come. Other planned environmental investments by KCP&L include a similar SCR upgrade and the addition of a wet scrubber and baghouse to the Iatan 1 generating station near Weston, Mo., and utilization of the latest emission control technology at the Iatan 2 station. Additional environmental upgrades on La Cygne Unit 1 are scheduled for 2009.

"While each of the components of our long-term energy plan is important to meeting the region’s future energy needs, the environmental improvements at La Cygne will provide the most immediate benefit. The outcome of these investments will help the Kansas City area to remain within the Environmental Protection Agency’s ozone attainment standards," said Bill Downey, president and CEO of KCP&L.

"This project is the single largest voluntary contribution to helping the Kansas City area maintain its attainment status under the EPA’s eight-hour ozone standard," said David Warm, executive director of Mid-America Regional Council (MARC). "Working with existing power plants to reduce emissions is the cornerstone of the MARC Clean Air Action Plan."

WGI to Provide Program Management Services for Louisiana Power Plant Expansion

Washington Group International Inc. (WGI) has been awarded a contract by NRG Energy Inc. to provide program management services during the development, engineering, design, construction, and commissioning of the fourth power unit at the Big Cajun II generating station near New Roads, La. The 675-MW coal-fired unit will bring the station’s total output to 2,405 MW and is scheduled to be in commercial operation in late 2009.

During the procurement phase, Washington Group will assist in the preparation and evaluation of engineering, procurement, and construction turnkey bid packages. Following notice to proceed, WGI will review the selected contractor’s design criteria and design documents to ensure that NRG Energy’s performance criteria for Big Cajun II Unit 4 are met. During construction, WGI will provide construction oversight of the delivered material, inspect the equipment, and monitor the overall progress of the project in the field. Washington Group also will provide start-up assistance during construction turnover, commissioning, and testing of the plant systems.

Foster Wheeler Awarded Contract by Cleco for Two CFB Boilers

Cleco Corp has awarded Foster Wheeler Ltd.’s Global Power Group a contract for the design and supply of two circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boilers. The contract, valued at approximately $180 million, calls for Foster Wheeler to provide Cleco Power LLC, a subsidiary of Cleco Corp., with two 330-MW CFB boilers. These boilers will be installed at the company’s proposed solid-fuel generating unit planned at its existing Rodemacher Power Station. The two boilers are designed to use multiple fuels and to provide steam to a single 660-MW reheat turbine.

When in commercial operation, this plant will be one of the cleanest solid-fuel plants of its kind and will give Cleco the flexibility to burn a variety of cheaper solid fuels while significantly reducing its consumption of expensive natural gas. "Current projections of natural gas prices show this proposed unit has the potential to save customers more than $4 billion over 30 years," said Mike Madison, president and CEO of Cleco Corp.

Foster Wheeler’s scope of services includes design and supply of the state-of-the-art CFB boilers, selective noncatalytic reduction, and air quality control systems. The advanced boilers will burn solid fuel cleanly while meeting stringent emissions requirements. Construction of the boilers has started, and commercial operation is scheduled for July 2009.

Hanoi Constructing 1,000-MW Coal-Fired Power Plant

A leading U.S. power company and a Vietnamese economic group will invest approximately US$1 billion to build a 1,000-MW coal-fired power plant in Vietnam’s northern region. The U.S. company, AES, and the state-run Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin) have signed an in-principle agreement to establish a venture to construct the plant in Quang Ninh province. Plans call for the plant to be in commercial operation in 2010. AES will complete the feasibility study for the coal-fired plant, to be named Mong Duong 2, by mid-2006.

Besides Mong Duong 2, Vinacomin and the Vietnam Mineral Corp., has plans to put into operation several smaller plants in the northern region by 2010. The state-owned Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) recently estimated that electricity shortage in the country will rise from 1.1 billion kWh in 2006 to 10.3 billion kWh in 2009 before dropping to 7.2 billion kWh in 2010. EVN, Vietnam’s biggest power producer and sole distributor, is building a 1,000-MW plant named Mong Duong 1 in Quang Ninh. Mong Duong 1 and Mong Duong 2 will consume 6 million tons of coal each year.

First Texas Coal-Fired Power Plant in 15 Years

CPS Energy has commenced construction of a new $1 billion coal-fired plant at Calaveras Lake, the first new coal plant to be built in Texas in 15 years. When completed, Unit 2 of the J.K. Spruce Power Plant will be capable of generating 750 MW. Over the next few years CPS will spend more than $200 million on environmental controls for the facility and another $400 million to upgrade emissions controls on its other coal-fired power plants.

The last hurdle to build the plant was overcome when the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality approved the plant’s permit earlier this year. Environmental groups fighting the plant dropped their opposition after CPS agreed to step up its conservation and renewable energy goals. CPS Energy has agreed to raise its target for energy efficiency and conservation to 65 MW by 2016 and for renewable energy to 15% of capacity by 2020. The old targets were 30 MW by 2011 and 10% of capacity by 2015.

"Spruce 2 is going to have the best available emissions control technology in the United States," said Mayor Phil Hardberger, who also serves on the CPS Board of Trustees. Spruce 2, slated for completion by 2010, will be built by Calaveras Power Partners, a consortium led by Zachry Construction Corp.

Construction of Spruce 2 will be performed by Calaveras Power Partners LLC, which is a consortium of Black & Veatch, Zachry Construction Corp., TIC, and Utility Engineering. Construction is scheduled for completion by 2010. Major equipment for the new unit includes an Alstom tangential coal-fired boiler and a Toshiba steam turbine/generator set. CPS will spend over $200 million on environmental controls for the new unit. The environmental controls will include a wet flue gas desulfurization scrubber, selective catalytic reduction unit, and a fabric filter baghouse.

Mercury Control System Being Installed in the Upper Midwest

ADA-ES Inc. has been awarded a contract, along with Alstom Power Inc., to supply a mercury emission control system for a new power plant unit being built in the upper Midwest. Omaha Public Power District is building the new unit at its Nebraska City plant. When completed, the plant will burn Powder River Basin coal to generate 660 MW of electricity.

The mercury emission control system will utilize powdered activated carbon to remove mercury from the flue gas of the power plant. ADA-ES anticipates delivery of equipment during the fourth quarter of 2006, to support installation for plant operation in 2008.

"The mercury control marketplace continues to develop at a rapid pace, as evidenced by the contracts covering six units we have executed so far in 2006," said Dr. Michael Durham, president of ADA-ES. "We continue to receive a large number of proposal requests for this technology and expect to execute other supply contracts this year to help utilities meet the new mercury emissions regulations being promulgated by individual states and the federal government."

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