ENR 2025 Global Best Projects
Award of Merit, Power/Industrial: Combined Cycle Implementation at Santa Cruz Thermoelectric Plant
Complex decommissioning of power plant’s existing boilers drove the project team to embrace an innovative approach.
Combined Cycle Implementation at Santa Cruz Thermoelectric Plant
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Award of Merit, Power/Industrial
Submitted by Odebrecht Engineering and Construction
Owner: Furnas Centrais Elétricas S.A.
Lead Design Firm: Figener
Contractor: Odebrecht Engineering and Construction
Civil Engineer: Maurício Amadeu
Structural Engineer: PROGEN Projetos Gerenciamento e Engenharia S.A.
MEP Engineer: Elson Carvalho
The Santa Cruz Thermoelectric Plant’s combined-cycle implementation significantly increases its generating capacity and brings a 1960s-era facility into the modern age. First converted to natural gas in the 1980s, the plant is a key part of Brazil’s base-load power generation infrastructure.
The combined-cycle upgrade, which raises capacity from 350 MW to 500 MW, required decommissioning two existing 48-m-tall, 3,000-ton boilers. Working in and around these boilers was identified early on as a major safety hazard, so the team devised a plan to significantly reduce the time spent dismantling them.
A custom metal truss was erected around the boilers, which reduced the number of crane picks required over the course of the project and eliminated the need for workers to be inside the boilers when cutting them apart. This creative approach not only had benefits for the project’s schedule, but also improved safety on site.
According to contractor Odebrecht, this innovative approach to decommissioning large boilers can also be used to increase safety and reduce costs on similar power plant upgrade efforts.
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