PROJECT
The facility was the first large-scale project in Wisconsin to feature reciprocating internal combustion engine (RICE) units, which are designed to provide either consistent or on-demand energy to pair with intermittent renewable generation and to accommodate rapidly changing grid conditions.
The facility is jointly owned by We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service, with each company owning 50% of the capacity. In total, the facility produces enough energy to power more than 77,000 homes.
The project utilized our subsidiary, AZCO, for construction and pipe prefabrication. Our team faced significant challenges in equipment procurement through the project duration as the global supply chain faced unprecedented instability in 2021 and 2022.
Client
Wisconsin Public Service
Location
Wausau, Wisconsin
Region
Midwest
Services
Industry
Case Study
Following the successful execution of the A.J. Mihm and F.D. Kuester Generating Stations, Burns & McDonnell was hired by Wisconsin Public Service to p...
The medium-voltage switchgear for the project arrived on-site nearly six months late. During this delay, we conducted thorough and persistent vendor surveillance, including daily meetings and weekly factory visits, to provide WEC with clear and accurate information.
We also reimagined the startup and commissioning process to continue making progress through the delay. The team safely managed the execution of this revised process to achieve commercial operations ahead of schedule.
Before plant startup, the team discovered the cooling water piping for the plant had been reversed by the original equipment manufacturer. Typically, cooling water piping leaves each engine, goes underground, then comes back above ground to the radiators; the connections are at different elevations, but side by side. To correct the situation, the engineering and AZCO teams together designed a solution to crisscross the piping at the radiators to reverse the flow direction — which would mean pipe redesign, remanufacture and reinstall.
Working with worldwide resources, the team modeled and designed the change overnight, ready for the on-site team the next morning. The drawings were then routed to AZCO prefabricators, who fabricated 70 pipes for 35 radiators and delivered to the site within a week. To verify all custom fabrication addressed slight variations in equipment, the pipe fabrication shop foreman visited the site to measure each location.
The solution was delivered with a less than two-week project delay.