Zachry EPC Project Named "Coal-Fired Project of the Year" at 2016 POWER-GEN International Conference

SAN ANTONIO (Dec. 13, 2016) – A major Zachry Group construction and engineering project took one of the top honors—Coal-Fired Project of the Year—at the power industry’s largest annual conference in Orlando, Florida. The award recognized Zachry’s engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) work at the Mill Creek Generating Station, located in Jefferson County, Kentucky, and owned by Louisville Gas & Electric (LG&E). The project was one of the largest air quality control system (AQCS) installations in the nation; Zachry designed and built air quality control systems for all four of the plant’s generating units. The new environmentally focused equipment that Zachry installed eliminates 99 percent of the sulfur dioxide, mercury and particulate matter leaving the plant’s massive chimneys, reducing the plant’s emissions to essentially water vapor.

The award was announced at the 2016 POWER-GEN International conference, an event that each year focuses on the power industry’s latest innovations, technical trends and business strategies. The editors of Power Engineering and Renewable Energy World magazines chose the best projects in four fuel categories.

The Mill Creek Generating Station is LG&E’s largest coal-fired power plant, with a generating capacity of 1,472 megawatts. The four generating units at the 1970s-era Mill Creek plant are fairly close together, because they share a single coal-handling system. The project’s complexity allowed Zachry designers and engineers to utilize their creativity and their technology skills; designers created a 3D model of the plant, which was used to create digital plans that provided ongoing support to Zachry craft workers during the build phase. The digital model proved to be a valuable tool for both Zachry and LG&E; it demonstrated the integrated project delivery capabilities that an EPC team can achieve through effective use of laser scanning and 3D modeling.