The Cates Avenue and Yarbrough steam plants on campus will undergo renovations and major equipment changes starting as early as the end of the month.

Alan Daeke, assistant director of utilities and engineering services, said the work at the plants will be done in different parts.

“The project consists of multiple phases at two plants,” Daeke said. “The first phase is the renovation work at Cates. Here, renovation activities are planned to start by the end of Jan. We anticipate having the Cates Plant construction completed by March 2012. The work at Yarbrough would start after the Cates work is commissioned and functioning properly, with an anticipated completion date of March 2013.”

According to Charles Leffler, vice chancellor for finance and business, the renovation plans will have a major focus on reducing green gas emission levels.

“The project is also seeking LEED certification, Silver level, which is unique considering that this is an energy plant,” Daeke said.

According to the U.S. Green Building Council’s website, LEED certification is given to construction projects built in such a way as to be more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.

According to Daeke, the changes to both the sites will display some new features.

“At Cates, new combustion gas turbines will be installed that will generate 11 megawatts of electricity and will utilize the waste heat to produce 100,000 pounds per hour of steam,” Daeke said. “At Yarbrough, new boilers will be installed that can produce a total of 200,000 pounds per hour of steam.  These boilers will be natural gas fired with number two fuel (diesel) back up.”

Daeke also said both plants will see several structural changes.

“To make room for the new equipment at Cates, the existing boiler from 1974 will be removed as well as the four existing chillers. Also, a portion of the existing boiler wing will be removed and a new structure will be built to house the combustion gas turbines and auxiliary equipment,” Daeke said. “At the Yarbrough site, the existing two boilers will be removed and the building structure will be modified to support the new boilers and auxiliary equipment.”

According to Daeke, once the work has started, there are plans in place for makeshift plants to lessen the loss of energy during the renovations.

“A temporary boiler plant located at the Yarbrough plant will be provided as part of the project to offset the loss of capacity while the plants are being renovated,” Daeke said.

The Cates Ave steam plant is located near multiple residence halls as well as the student health center and Carmichael gym. Daeke said while the project will hopefully not significantly disturb the campus environment, students and faculty should look to the Transportation department if considerable route changes are required.

“If road closures or detours are needed, that is done through the Transportation Department’s website,” Daeke said. “The project design team has taken noise and dust abatement into consideration for both the design of the plant as well as the construction.”

According to Daeke, special legislation will be used to fund this project.

“Special legislation, called Performance Contracting, is allowing the University to use the energy savings from this project to pay for the construction cost,” Daeke said. “That way, no State appropriated funds are being used.”

According to Leffler, the decision to renovate the steam plants was inevitable.

“The boilers at the steam plants are almost 60 years old now,” Leffler said. “Issues concerning reliability, efficiency and conservation of energy were driving factors for this decision. The decision came on as a part of our long term planning process.”

Daeke said this project has been in the works for several years.

“We have been working on this for almost five years, starting with a study in 2005, and are glad to see the construction phase begin,” Daeke said.

Daeke said he believes this massive project will also be an educational resource for the campus in the future.

“The project will provide an upgrade to existing steam infrastructure, as well as a new technology for us on campus,” Daeke said. “Having this on campus, and being able to see theory put into practice, is a valuable resource to prepare our students for their careers.”