The labour force at the SaskPower clean coal project at Boundary Dam is mobilizing again, preparing for the next major step that will ultimately lead to the completion of the world's first commercial-size carbon dioxide capture and sequestration program.
It was announced last week that a joint venture plan has been signed between Alberici and Balzer Canada to install a new 160 megawatt (MW) turbine at Boundary Dam Power Station's Unit 3 sector.
The $67 million job will see the two companies remove the existing Unit 3 steam turbine and replace it with the new 160 MW Hitachi steam turbine. They will also replace other mechanical equipment like the feedwater heating plant.
Bob Turczyn, supervisor of construction for SaskPower at the site, said the other major contractors such as Babcock and Wilcox are on site, mobilizing and planning for the next phase which will begin in March.
"The existing No. 3 unit is still scheduled to come down February 25," said Turczyn.
"There will be some clean-up work to do before the installation and tie-in," he said, referring to the fact that the new turbine will not only be hooked up to the existing SaskPower turbine system at the coal-fired plant, but will also be tied-in to the adjoining carbon dioxide stripper vessel and other equipment that will be removing noxious gases.
The project continues to be on schedule although there have been some weather-related challenges this winter. There has also been the ongoing challenge of obtaining the skilled labour that is needed at any given time.
When the tie-in begins in earnest, Turczyn said, it will require a number of pipefitters, boilermakers and electricians.
"Those are the three main skill sets we'll need then," he added.
The actual carbon capture element of the project is proceeding as planned, he said, under the direction of site manager Gary Cooper of SNC Lavalin, the main contractor for that part of the $1.24 billion project.
It is expected that the old turbine removal and the installation of the new unit will take approximately six months.
Upon completion, carbon dioxide emissions from Unit 3 will be reduced by one million tonness per year at an approximate 90 per cent reduction rate. It will ensure Boundary Dam will remain as a long-term, reliable producer of electricity using coal as the fuel to provide baseload power for the province.
If the project is deemed successful, the future plan is to outfit Boundary Dam's three other generators with carbon capture capabilities while decommissioning the plant's two oldest units, Nos. 1 and 2, which have been seen as being too old and non-compatible for a carbon capture program.
In its current state, Boundary Dam provides just over 830 MW of baseload power per day into the provincial grid system that is capable of providing up to 4,200 MW daily at peak periods.
