UC Irvine Cogeneration and Chiller Plant Addition

Irvine, California

Kiewit engineered, designed, procured and constructed an 18-megawatt cogeneration plant and chiller addition for the University of California, Irvine’s central plant. This project added 6,000 tons of capacity to the existing chilled water system that serves the growing campus, allowing them to generate their own electricity and provide a backup power source in case of loss of service from the utility.

Major equipment installation included a Solar Titan 130 gas turbine, selective catalytic reduction to control nitrogen oxides, a Deltak heat recovery steam generator and two 3,000-ton York Electric centrifugal chillers.

Despite lack of documentation on the existing facility and working in a small space, Kiewit’s project team successfully integrated the existing facility with new equipment to meet the university’s power needs.