I AM WRITING to recognize the Boilermakers working on the Prairie State Energy Campus, a 1,600-megawatt, state-of-the-art power plant in Washington County, Ill.
On Aug. 28 the Boilermakers of Local 363 [E. St. Louis, Ill.], along with many members from other [Boilermaker] locals, hung the last boiler wall in the second of two 800-MW Universal Pressure (UP®) boilers.
With the new technology of modulation, all the water wall panels and buck stays were prefabricated in the yard, transported to the boiler cavity, and raised with a strand jack system. The planning, detail, and fabrication that went into building the walls on these units are a testament to the Boilermakers’ pride in their work. The job has reached three million safe man-hours [as of Sept. 14, 2010] without a lost-time incident, and both units are on track to beat their hydro dates.
I commend the Boilermakers at Prairie State, whose time, effort, and commitment to quality have contributed to the project’s success.
Ed Donahue
Mechanical Superintendent
Bechtel Construction Company
