CH2M HILL Recognized For Superior Safety At Xcel Energy's High Bridge Power Plant
St. Paul — CH2M Hill announced that its LG Constructors construction arm has been honored with Minnesota OSHA's highest safety award for its ongoing work at the Xcel Energy High Bridge Combined Cycle generating plant. The construction team is closing in on 300,000 total work hours without a lost-time accident.
"This Star is the first awarded in the history of the State of Minnesota for new construction at a power generating plant," said James Collins, Director of OSHA's Consultation Program. The Minnesota Star (MNSTAR) is modeled after the federal OSHA Voluntary Protection Program.
Collins said that the MNSTAR program is unique because the workplace consultation assessment team provides a comprehensive safety and health assessment of the project, including hazard identification, training, and education. The assessment team conducts these audits on a regularly scheduled basis until all requirements for the MNSTAR program are met.
OSHA's Team Leader Andy Smoka said that the CH2M HILL subsidiary has been a "mentor" to all of its subcontractors and has "raised the level" of the safety profession. "If LG Constructors is awarded another project in Minnesota, it will be a bonus for the State and local subcontractors," Smoka said. "During our (OSHA) interviews with many of the craft professionals, we heard over and over again that they want to be LG employees."
"We take safety seriously for our employees, contractors and visitors," said David Wilks, president of Xcel Energy Supply. "Our goal is to make sure people go home at the end of the day in the same condition in which they arrived. And we're pleased that our High Bridge project is achieving that goal."
"I'm very pleased that the High Bridge project team has received this Minnesota OSHA award, the fifth Star award for our firm," said Lee McIntire, President and Chief Operating Officer, CH2M HILL. "Safety is a core value at CH2M HILL for all of our construction projects throughout the world, and this is evidence of our ongoing commitment to our people and clients."
The High Bridge plant in St. Paul, which currently uses coal to generate electricity, is being converted to a natural gas powered facility, capable of producing twice as much energy. The new plant reduces emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter by more than 90 percent. The plant is also designed to eliminate mercury emissions and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by two-thirds.
The project includes construction of a new building on the existing site and the installation of a combined cycle unit, two combustion turbines, two heat recovery steam generators, and a new steam turbine. The new facility is part of Xcel Energy's Metro Emissions Reduction Project (MERP), with the facility expected to be essentially complete by December 2007, and commercially operational in April 2008. There are currently 220 craft personnel on site, with an expected peak of 400.
LG Constructors, a subsidiary of CH2M HILL, is the engineering-procurement-construction (EPC) contractor for this project. Engineering began in October 2005, and the first piles were driven into the ground February 2006.
CH2M HILL has previously been recognized by Power Engineering magazine as the EPC contractor responsible for a "Power Plant of the Year" award for its Pinnacle West Energy Silverhawk Power Station in Las Vegas.