The utility plant was designed by Sacramento firm Nacht and Lewis.

The 78,000-sq-ft facility operates on 90% less water than its predecessor and is expected to help the state reduce energy costs, cut water usage and provide better reliability to state buildings.

The seven-story-tall plant took less than two years to build.

The central plant is expected to achieve LEED gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council next year.

Since its groundbreaking, the central plant project was responsible for putting between 75 to 375 full-time construction employees to work every day.

Besides Skanska, the project team included: Sacramento-based Nacht and Lewis Architects, San Francisco-based Flack and Kurtz and Lawson Mechanical and Redwood City Electric. Consultants on the project were Capitol Engineering Consultants, Inc., Lionakis Beaumont Design Group and Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.

The new facility includes cooling towers to release heat pulled from state buildings and reuse the water that goes through the plant. The more technologically advanced central plant uses more than 95% less water than the old plant and can operate off the electrical grid during an emergency. Solar panels will also be installed on the new facility to power the energy needs of the office space within it.