Energy

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) announced in January of 2008 that five electric utilities in the United States and Canada have joined EPRI to host studies of the impacts of retrofitting advanced amine-based post-combustion carbon dioxide capture technology to existing coal-fired power plants. In addition to the five host site companies, 15 other companies and organizations, including six from Canada and one from Australia, have joined the project.

American Municipal Power-Ohio (AMP-Ohio) has selected Bechtel Power Corporation to construct a $3.25 billion coal-fired power plant in Meigs County, Ohio. Construction will begin in 2009 and reach completion within five years. The plant will feature Powerspan emission control technologies to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, mercury, carbon dioxide, and particulate matter.

German wind turbine maker Nordex will build a $100 million manufacturing plant in Jonesboro, Ark. Sited on 187 acres in the Craighead Technology Park, the facility will support 700 employees and will manufacture all wind turbine components except the tower. The project will be supported by training programs at Arkansas State University. The plant will be operational by January of 2010, with a second construction phase reaching completion in 2012.

AREVA is partnering with Northrop Grumman to build a $360 million nuclear reactor component manufacturing plant in Newport News, Va. The 300,000-sf Project Larkspur will be located on the campus of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding with access to the James River for transportation of the steam generators, reactor vessels, and pressurizers the plant will produce. The manufacturing and engineering facility will support 540 employees. AREVA is headquartered in Paris, France.

Syracuse University’s $35.6 million Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems is slated for completion in summer of 2009. The five-story, 55,000-sf facility will support research, development, and job creation in the fields of indoor environmental quality, renewable energy, and water resource management. The Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems is created in partnership with Clarkson University, Cornell University, SUNY-ESF Center for Sustainable and Clean Energy, and state and industry partners.

Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas will locate its new 500,000-sf headquarters in Portland, Ore. LEED Platinum sustainable design certification will be sought for the $250 million facility. Vestas will also open an R&D facility in Boston to develop generators, converters, and control technologies for next-generation wind turbines.

United Solar Ovonic began construction in fall of 2008 on a $220 million solar cell manufacturing facility in Battle Creek, Mich. Located in the Fort Custer Industrial Park, the 265,000-sf building is slated for completion by year-end 2009. United Solar Ovonic is a subsidiary of photovoltaics developer Energy Conversion Devices of Detroit.

The University of Central Florida dedicated the $850,000 Siemens Energy Center in Orlando in October of 2008. Created in partnership with Siemens Power Generation, the 10,900-sf laboratory will provide collaborative research space for UCF and Siemens to develop sustainable power generation technologies. Construction on the facility began in January of 2008.

The University of Illinois dedicated the newly renovated and expanded Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory (MNTL) in Urbana-Champaign on September 4, 2008. The $18 million project created additional laboratory, classroom, research, and meeting facilities. The expansion will support research for the National Science Foundation-funded Center for Compound Semiconductor Microelectronics. The MNTL houses research laboratories for micro and nanoelectronics, nanophotonics and optoelectronics, nanomedicine and bionanotechnology, MEMS/NEMS, and integrated systems research.

DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol is partnering with the University of Tennessee Research Foundation to build a cellulosic ethanol R&D facility and pilot-scale biorefinery in Vonore, Tenn. Developing the commercial package for DDCE’s cellulosic ethanol technology, the plant includes a process development unit (PDU). Sited in the Niles Ferry Industrial Park, the facility will utilize corn stover and switchgrass, two non-food biomass feedstocks, to produce 250,000 gallons of cellulosic ethanol annually.

NATCO broke ground in July of 2008 on its new research and development center in Houston. The 30,000-sf facility will accommodate the development of process solutions for large scale pilot plants as well as providing laboratory services and computer and scale modeling. Featuring technology demonstration areas, training facilities, and conference rooms, the facility will support NATCO’s oil and gas industry technologies.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has selected Amana Contracting and Steel Buildings to build the Dhs85-million Takreer Research Center project at Sas El Nakhl in Abu Dhabi. Located at the Petroleum Institute Campus, the 6,000-sm, three-story facility will include laboratories, a pilot plant, workshops, a gas bunker, and offices. Completion is expected in June of 2009.

The University of Idaho’s Center for Advanced Energy Studies in Idaho Falls is slated for completion in August of 2008. The $19 million, 55,000-sf project is a public-private energy research and education facility and is affiliated with Idaho National Laboratory (INL).

The Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory is partnering with the University of Houston to create the Texas-NREL Large Blade Research and Test Facility (LBR&TF) in Ingleside, Texas. The facility will be designed, built, and operated by the University of Houston with operational support including $2 million in equipment from NREL. Completion is slated for 2010. The project will provide complete testing of wind turbine blades up to 210 feet long.

Chevron’s Gulf of Mexico Business Unit (GOMBU) celebrated the opening of its new Northpark headquarters in Covington, La., in May of 2008. The 300,000-sf headquarters utilizes advanced technology to manage shelf operations and features a visualization center and 18 technology-enabled team rooms and asset decision environments linking offshore and onshore personnel. Northpark is the company's first LEED-certified building and the first LEED-Gold building in the state of Louisiana.