The Emporia Energy site is no longer the field of grass it was in mid-March. Now, it’s an active construction site full of buildings, workers and concrete forms.
Westar Energy broke ground on the peaking power plant on March 12 with an expected completion date of May 1, 2009. The site is on Road 200 just east of Road S near Westar’s existing Lang Substation. It will use natural gas to generate power during peak power usage times such as heavy-use summer days. Westar announced last August its plans to build the plant, which would invest $318 million in Lyon County.
On Friday, Overland Contracting, a Black & Veatch company, sponsored a welcome luncheon. Several community leaders and residents attended to get a project update.
Keith Ketcherside, project manager of generation construction for Westar, told the group of more than two dozen people that the plant has been readily accepted by the community.
“We’re very happy we’ve been received in the community so well,” he said. “We want to stay welcomed into the community here.”
David “Yank” Meek, project field manager for Overland Contracting, gave a Power Point presentation updating the group on the project.
Meek said Hamm Construction removed 2 1/2 feet of topsoil from the 160-acre site before further construction could begin. The soil then was treated with lime, which helps the soil compact. A storm drainage system was installed and drains into a pond on the southwest side of the site.
An employee break room was built complete with 23 picnic tables and a microwave. A warehouse also is on site as well as several double-wide trailers which house everything from a conference room to administrative offices.
Work on the construction site started before 4 a.m. Friday, Meek said, because 700 yards of concrete needed to be poured and trucks only hold 10 yards of concrete, which was 70 truckloads. The early start allowed the concrete pouring to be done by early in the day Friday.
Ketcherside explained the plant further and what it will look like when done. There will be water tanks on site — one for service and fire water and one for de-mineralized water, which will be used for the turbines. To help provide water for the site, $1.2 to $1.3 million is being invested into the rural water district to build a new tower and a new pump station. This benefits the plant and the surrounding community, Ketcherside said.
Ketcherside said the plant will run only a few months out of the year during peak load times, typically during the hot summer months.
“We have to serve,” he said. “When you throw a light switch and it’s 100 degrees outside the lights are going to come on.”
According to Meek, there are 87 full time employees. Out of those, 12 are Lyon County residents. When questioned about that, Meek replied that it takes a specialized worker to build the plant.
“When we want a carpenter, we want a carpenter that can build something out there, not a shed,” Meek said.
Meek said the core workers have been with the construction company for several years.
The number of workers will top out at around 220 people, Meek added. The company is working with a local placement agency to get local workers.
A few residents raised a concern over heavy dust on roads used for plant construction. Ketcherside said Road U eventually will be black topped, but bids won’t be let for that project until July 3. Lyon County Engineer Chip Woods said it could be 30 days after the letting date before the project is started.
Nearby residents wanted to know what was going to be done in the meantime, citing not only the dust, but the safety issues heavy dust poses. Ketcherside said he would call and get a mixture put on the road to control the dust. He said he could possibly get that project started by the end of next week.
logical (anonymous) says...
Seems to me they are paving the wrong road!! Road S has all the traffic from the semi trucks, to the workers etc. Westar employees said they prefer to travel Road S. Why would they pave a road that isn't traveled and leave the one that is graveled?
June 25, 2007 at 9:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
daveedailey (anonymous) says...
Sounds like Lyon county at work to me!!!
June 25, 2007 at 9:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )