For immediate release

HOMEWOOD, IL (July 2009) — As power producers across the U.S. continue to look for ways to reduce emissions, environmental construction projects continue to move forward.

“The type of environmental work we’re seeing in the power industry is diverse right now,” said Tom Gore, vice president, Graycor Industrial Constructors Inc. “We’re completing work that spans from retrofitting existing coal-fired power plants with equipment in order to reduce sulfur and nitrogen oxide emissions to installing carbon-capture technology to reduce mercury emissions,” he added. 

Sulfur and Nitrogen Reduction

For American Electric Power Service Corp. (AEP), Graycor Industrial recently began a flue gas desulfurization (FGD) project in Brilliant, Ohio. Construction of the 18-month project will be completed by the end of 2009, with tie-in work, which is currently scheduled for 2011. The work consists of retrofitting AEP’s 630-megawatt Unit 3 with equipment to reduce sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions.

“More than 1,700 tons of structural steel is being used for six structures, which is challenging considering that the project has a very small staging area,” said Jerry Matheis, senior project manager, Graycor Industrial. “Well before the project began, the team utilized building information modeling [BIM] project management software to coordinate the logistics of this project,” he added. 

Also for AEP, Graycor Industrial recently completed an environmental retrofit project at the power producer’s 1,745-megawatt coal-fired generation facility in Conesville, Ohio, located 70 miles east of Columbus. The two-phased project included all substructures and superstructures supporting the FGD that was installed. Work on the 780-megawatt Unit 4, the plant’s largest unit, resulted in a reduction of sulfur dioxide emissions. The substructures portion of the project included a significant amount of site work and underground utilities.

For AmerenEnergy Resources Generating Co. (Ameren), Graycor Industrial recently completed an environmental retrofit project at the Duck Creek power station, a 440-megawatt, coal-fired generation facility, located in Canton, Ill. The project included replacing an existing FGD system with a wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGD) system. The new scrubber system will more efficiently remove, or “scrub,” sulfur dioxide from the flue gas emissions. The retrofit project also included installation of an eight-cell, electrostatic precipitator and associated foundations and equipment. Chicago-based Sargent & Lundy LLC provided engineering services. In 2003, Graycor installed a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system at the Duck Creek plant.

Mercury Reduction

In partnership with Sargent & Lundy, Graycor Industrial is in the process of designing, furnishing and installing Activated Carbon Injection (ACI) systems for 12 boilers at six Midwest Generation plants throughout central and northern Illinois.

In ACI technology, powdered activated carbon sorbent is injected into the flue gas duct where the sorbent binds with the mercury in order to prevent the mercury from being emitted into the atmosphere.

“A great deal of planning and coordination goes into retrofitting six power plants simultaneously,” said Kevin Grooms, project manager, Graycor Industrial. “Each plant is unique and has a varying number of boilers and associated equipment. As a result, the team spends about four months designing and planning systems for each plant before construction even begins,” Grooms stated. Work varies by site, but generally includes site work, foundations, steel erection, piping, electrical and injection port tie-ins at existing ductwork.

“Graycor has a strong ability to get work done quickly and pull together all aspects of a project,” said Rick Mason, director of environmental compliance, Midwest Generation.

Midwest Generation’s Waukegan, Crawford and Fisk stations were completed in June 2008, and the Powerton, Will County and Joliet stations are scheduled for spring 2009 completion. Graycor Industrial has provided construction services for Midwest Generation for nearly three decades. Most recently, Graycor Industrial completed environmental enhancements at the power generator’s Crawford Station in Chicago.

About Graycor Industrial Constructors Inc.

For more than 80 years, Graycor Industrial Constructors Inc. (Graycor Industrial) has been taking on the toughest heavy industrial construction projects across North America in a variety of markets including metals, power and process. The company has earned a reputation in the industry for developing long-term, collaborative partnerships that result in projects being completed efficiently, effectively and, most importantly, safely.

The Graycor companies – Graycor Industrial Constructors Inc., Graycor Construction Company Inc., Graycor Blasting Company Inc., and Graycor International – provide a wide variety of industrial and commercial construction services, as well as industrial maintenance technologies, across North America. As a top ranking industry leader with annual revenues in excess of $600 million, Graycor commits to safe working environments, demands excellence and rewards passion. Established in 1921, Graycor employs more than 1,500 construction specialists at the Chicago headquarters, regional offices and project locations across the United States, Canada and Mexico. For more information on the Graycor family of companies, visit www.graycor.com or call 1-800-455-0440.