BWL dedicates energy-efficient chilled water plant
Lansing Board of Water & Light General Manager J. Peter Lark joined Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero today in dedicating downtown Lansing’s newest structure – a $20 million chilled water plant.
“This energy-efficient plant is a prominent symbol of a prospering, energetic downtown,” Lark said. “We were fortunate to have The Christman Company as partners for this project,” Lark added. “Together, we completed the plant on time and under-budget.”
Groundbreaking for the plant took place on September 23, 2008, slightly less than a year from today’s dedication.
The plant is named in honor of retired BWL executive Roy Peffley, whose 28-year career included overseeing the design and construction of the BWL’s Erickson Power Plant in the 1970s. Peffley was present at today’s dedication ceremony.
The chilled water plant is the BWL’s most significant construction project since Erickson.
The Peffley Chilled Water Plant provides air conditioning to several State of Michigan office buildings and the Ingham County courts building. When the Accident Fund opens its new national headquarters in 2011 (the former Ottawa Power Station), the BWL will provide air conditioning to that facility as well. The plant is designed to expand chilled water service to other downtown facilities in the future.
Using state-of-the-art technology, the four-story, 12,600-square-foot plant will be 60 percent more efficient than an old plant it replaces. “Energy efficiency translates both into cost-efficiency and, just as important, a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions,” Lark said.
The plant is located at the southwest corner of Pine and Allegan Streets.
A chilled water plant works this way: An environmentally-safe refrigerant is used to cool water in a closed system. The water, at 42 degrees Fahrenheit, is piped to downtown office buildings where air is passed over the pipes, thus cooling the air.
The Christman Company acquired several State of Michigan grants to offset the $20 million construction cost. The BWL owns the facility.
The BWL is decommissioning the old chilled water plant, located in the former Ottawa Power Station. The equipment will be dismantled and the parts recycled. The Ottawa building is being developed by the Christman Company as the future headquarters of the Accident Fund.
