District Energy / Fourth Quarter 2018 35 © 2018 International District Energy Association. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
DEPARTMENTS | INDUSTRY NEWS ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
CONNECTICUT INVESTS $5 MILLION IN
SUBMARINE BASE MICROGRID
Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy
announced Sept. 5 that his administration
has approved the release of a $5 million
state grant from the Connecticut Microgrid Program to establish a microgrid at
the U.S. Naval Submarine Base (SUBASE)
in Groton in order to strengthen storm
resiliency and provide energy security.
The project will allow the base to seamlessly disconnect from the community
utility grid during a power disruption
and efficiently dispatch power through
the on-base microgrid to mission-critical
loads, such as home-ported submarines.
The microgrid will not only transform the
existing electrical system into one that is
more intelligent, flexible and robust, but
it will also allow automated data gathering and precise peak demand control. It is
anticipated that construction on the project will begin in 2019.
Establishing a microgrid at the base
will correct a major concern identified
during the base realignment and closure
process in 2005. Connecticut’s Office
of Military Affairs (OMA) first proposed
a SUBASE microgrid in 2010, but the
technical complexity of the project and
the need for senior Navy endorsement
slowed the idea’s momentum. In 2012,
Gov. Malloy met with then-Secretary of
the Navy Ray Mabus at the Pentagon
and enlisted his personal support, staff
expertise and legal authority to advance
the project. Secretary Mabus sent staff
delegations to Connecticut to collaborate with project stakeholders. In 2015,
the State Bond Commission authorized
OMA to provide funding to the Navy for
early design of the microgrid.
As design work advanced, the Con-
necticut Municipal Electric Energy Coop-
erative entered into an enhanced-use
lease agreement with the Navy for prop-
erty on the SUBASE to host a fuel cell
park. Groundbreaking for the 7. 4 MW
fuel cell park took place earlier this year.
Manufactured by Danbury-based FuelCell
Energy, the fuel cells and the base fuel
cell park will be financed by a public-
private long-term power purchase
agreement.
The Connecticut Microgrid Program
was developed in 2012 in response to
the recommendation of Gov. Malloy’s
Two Storm Panel after multiple storms
resulted in widespread outages of long
duration. To date, the program has issued $18.4 million in grants for 10 projects throughout the state, of which nine
are operational and one is under construction.
NATIONWIDE BOILER SECURES ITS
LARGEST-EVER RENTAL PROJECT
Nationwide Boiler Inc., representative and stocking distributor of Babcock
& Wilcox (B&W) package watertube
boilers, recently secured the largest
rental project in the company’s 51-year
history. The company will supply three
200,000-lb/hr, 750 psi design, 750 F
superheated steam, skid-mounted B&W
package watertube boilers for a project
at the new Saudi Aramco Jizan Refinery.
The boilers were complete, in stock and
available for quick-ship opportunities,
purchased as part of Nationwide Boiler’s
equipment stocking program. In addition
to the boilers, a plant master work station and one deaerator tank with pumps
will be provided for the duration of the
rental.
Nationwide Boiler was assisted in
securing this project with the coopera-
tion of its new Middle East representa-
tive, Aujan Industrial Solutions, as well
as the engineering, procurement and
construction customer, Redland Industri-
al Services (Arabia) Ltd. The equipment
will be utilized for a minimum of one
year during the commissioning of Saudi
Aramco’s 106-sq-km ( 40.9-sq-mile) re-
finery and terminal in Jizan, Saudi Arabia.
The facility is expected to process more
than 400,000 barrels per day of crude
oil for domestic and international cus-
tomers. It will be entirely self-sufficient,
providing power to locally owned manu-
facturing and service companies. The
boilers and associated equipment will
load at the port of Houston, Texas, with
an expected transit time of six weeks be-
fore arrival at the port of Jizan. Shipping
of the equipment has commenced but
will be coordinated in a phased process.
GRYPHON INTERNATIONAL
ENGINEERING SERVICES IS NOW CHA
CANADA
CHA Consulting Inc., a diversified,
full-service engineering design firm
headquartered in Albany, N. Y., announced
that its subsidiary Gryphon International
Engineering Services has rebranded as
CHA Canada. Based in St. Catharines,
Ont., the award-winning thermal, power
and energy engineering arm of CHA
has also launched a new website at
www.chacanada.com.
Gryphon International Engineering
Services was acquired by CHA Consulting in 2011. The name change and
rebranding is intended to clarify to the
market the full-service capabilities CHA
can now offer Canadian clients. This
branding change completes the full inte-
gration of the companies and aligns the
Canadian operation with the CHA brand.
CHA Canada’s new website was re-
designed to showcase the firm’s exper-
tise and extensive experience providing
highly specialized power and energy
engineering services. The new website
includes resources for clients and po-
tential clients, including descriptions
of complex domestic and international
projects that CHA Canada has success-
fully completed. It also provides infor-
mation about career opportunities avail-
able with the CHA companies.
Nationwide Boiler is supplying three
200,000-lb/hr skid-mounted B&W package
watertube boilers for a project at the new
Saudi Aramco Jizan Refinery.
Courtesy Nationwide Boiler Inc.
