Power Generation Utilities throughout the nation have continued to schedule aging fossil plants for formal decommissioning. Over the years UCC has continued to lead in supporting both utilities and general contractors in decommissioning sites including their water resources and infrastructures.
There are many plant components that require consideration in a decommissioning project including intake structures, tunnels and pipelines, fore bays, discharge tunnels and outfalls. During a typical decommissioning project inspections are completed at the outset in order to gather all necessary information required to plan a successful project. Such information includes construction measurements, debris evaluation and structural integrity. At many times dewatering and sealing water intake and outfalls are within the scope of work. As in every successful civil construction project the necessity of an excellent team is critical. From the owner / operator to the General Contractor, as well as, each and every sub-contractor in between, communication, safety and the strive for excellence will make or break a decommissioning project. Each task, component or tunnel is diverse and complex which results in separate construction methods to determine the best and safest approach.
Once initial investigative inspections are performed, teams spend a significant amount of time planning and engineering prior to project commencement. Success would also not be possible without the use of specialized equipment and the field experience necessary to remain adaptive to overcome unknown challenges that arise during the decommissioning process. Tasks including diver assisted dredging, form construction, structural salvage and removal, tunnel/bay sealing, dewatering and concrete pouring are unique for every site and separate unit system.
Successful projects start with choosing qualified, experienced team members during project planning and pre-project inspections and end in the UCC way – on-time, within budget and with zero safety incidents.