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Powering Up in Indiana
F.A. Wilhelm Construction of Indianapolis is general contractor for major sections of the 630-megawatt plant which, when completed in 2012, will be one of the world’s cleanest coal-fired facilities. More than 165,000 yards of Prairie concrete will form the structures devoted to coal storage, administration, control and maintenance along with foundations for coal handling, water treatment, gasification, air separation and more, says General Superintendent Chris Wilhelm. “We are placing up to 300 yards of concrete per hour, 6 days per week, year-round,” Wilhelm reports. Mobile plants erected by Prairie just minutes from the site are helping Wilhelm crews meet scheduling demands. P2P answers special needs Among the unique needs of this project was the requirement for sulfate-resistant concrete in coal storage areas, says Doug Dalton of the Prairie Indiana sales team. “For that section of the plant, we designed a proprietary mix using Type V concrete and a special aggregate,” says Dalton. “All told, the job incorporates 8 different mixes … this site has given us a chance to prove our prescription-to-performance abilities.”
The on-site quality control staff monitors every load heading out to the site, says Rick Waltman, Prairie’s maintenance chief for Southern Indiana, whose role is to keep the 12-yard central mix plant humming – and the backup plant ready to go if systems fail or crews need to change the aggregate in a particular mix. “Wilhelm usually needs several different mixes in any given day,” Waltman says, “which keeps our 12 trucks rolling. Just about the only thing that slows us down is the weather.” Prairie workers battled frozen aggregate this winter and as summer approaches, they’re ready to ice the mixes as needed to assure all concrete is delivered at temperatures below 90 degrees.
More power, lower emissions When the new plant goes on line, it will generate 10 times the output of Duke’s current coal-fired plant, located just a few miles away. And, thanks to the efficiency of integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) generation, the plant will emit dramatically less sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and particulate than the old facility with no thermal discharge into the nearby White River. “We’re proud of our contribution to this impressive project – the first new energy plant constructed in our state in more than 20 years,” says Prairie Indiana’s General Manager Bob Furlong. Duke Energy's new Coal Gasification Plant --By the Numbers $2.3 billion 3 years 165,000 45% 16 1.6 million Going mobile Prairie Material has 12 mobile plants that can be set up virtually anywhere to support complex construction projects. The two plants serving F.A. Wilhelm in Edwardsport are located less than a mile from the job site and were operational within 30 days, including site preparation, transport and installation of all components and recertification of measurement systems, says Doug Dalton. Mobile plants have also played a key role in the construction of other major projects across the Midwest, including clean energy facilities in Central Illinois.
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The Duke Energy Coal Gasification Plant under construction near Edwardsport, Indiana shows how new technologies will make coal a greener, cleaner source of power for America’s future. 
Moving forward, whatever the weather