Industry News

ChevronTexaco is consolidating area operations with the purchase of a 40-story office tower in Houston. The 1.2 million-sf building was originally built for Enron but never occupied. Chevron Texaco is also purchasing an adjoining 1,100-car parking garage. The new facility will accommodate approximately 3,700 employees.

Arizona Public Service Co. (APS) has created the Eager Biomass Project, a new power plant in eastern Arizona that will run on wood chips produced from forested trees. Producing enough electricity for 3,000 homes and businesses, APS will get green credits to apply to the Arizona Environmental Portfolio Standard which will require APS to generate 1.1 percent of its power through renewable resources by 2007. The biomass technology employed by the Eager, Ariz., plant converts vegetation waste such as forest and agricultural byproducts into clean fuel to power generators. 

Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. (BGE) will renovate its historic East Tower facility in Baltimore to serve as the company’s new headquarters. Housing over 500 employees, the project will include retail space on the first level. The 18-month renovation is expected to reach completion in mid- to late 2005. BGE recently sold the West Tower, the site of the company’s former headquarters. Construction will include separation of the infrastructure of the two buildings as well as HVAC, electrical, and elevator upgrades.

Silicon Valley Power recently broke ground on the $165-million Von Raesfeld power plant sited on 2.86 acres in Santa Clara, Calif. Locally owned and operated, the 147-megawatt gas-fired plant is expected to reach completion in late 2004.

Indianapolis, Ind.-based Polaris Laboratories has opened a new fluid analysis testing facility in Houston. The 5,000-sf laboratory, which can complete most routine testing in 24 hours, has the capacity to process 3,000 samples per day. Polaris provides fluid analysis testing to the transportation, power generation, and gas compression industries.