September 29, 2016 – SaskPower has awarded a contract to Burns & McDonnell for engineer/procure/construct (EPC) services for the new Chinook Power Station, a 350MW natural gas-fired power facility to be located in rural south-western Saskatchewan, near Swift Current. The company issued a formal notice to proceed in July and engineering design is underway.

Pending environmental approval, construction is expected to begin as early as late 2016, with the plant being commissioned and in service in late 2019, according to the utility.

The combined-cycle facility will feature a Siemens F-Class gas turbine, a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) and a Siemens steam turbine to boost power output and maximize energy efficiency, Burns & McDonnell notes, adding the combined cycle operation will utilize exhaust heat that would otherwise be lost in a simple cycle configuration. The hot exhaust from the initial cycle is captured to boil water into steam in the HRSG and spin an additional second generator to produce more power. Burns & McDonnell says the combined cycle unit will also significantly reduce water usage thanks to a plant design that will incorporate advanced air-cooling to minimize water usage.

Up to 500 craft and tradesmen will be employed on the project during peak construction and SaskPower estimates that about 25 workers will be needed when the station goes into operation.

Natural gas for the plant will be supplied under a long-term contract with TransGas, a subsidiary of SaskEnergy, via a large-capacity pipeline.

“We’re very gratified by the confidence SaskPower has shown in us,” said Chris Lehan, vice-president of Energy in Canada for Burns & McDonnell. “We have a track record of taking on the most complex power projects in the industry under difficult and challenging conditions and take great pride in coming through for our clients.”

Burns & McDonnell also provided engineering, procurement and construction management services to SaskPower for its recently completed 204MW expansion of the Queen Elizabeth Power Station near Saskatoon.