A new permit by rule recently approved by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality could lead more commercial and industrial facilities to use combined heat and power (CHP) technologies for their power needs. Photo courtesy The Methodist Hospital The Methodist Hospital in Houston is host to a rooftop 4.5 MW combined heat and power unit, shown here. Existing permitting regulations state that a CHP system – regardless of building site or its megawatt capacity – falls under the strict rules for electric generating units, requiring a permit that critics say is very restrictive on emissions.“So even if you were putting
In light of recent drought, calls for construction of additional desalination plants are gaining traction. Earlier this month, Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson’s office announced that the Texas General Land Office (GLO) is exploring the potential of a desalination project that would turn some of Texas’ abundant brackish groundwater into finished drinking water on a 2,000-acre tract of land along Interstate 35, between Austin and San Antonio. North Cameron Regional Water Authority North Cameron Regional Water Authoritys brackish water desalination facility in Harlingen, Texas. The plant was built in 2007 and has a capacity of 2.25 million gallons per day.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the cause of a fatal tower crane collapse at the University of Texas at Dallas campus in Richardson on July 7, but experts familiar with the accident are already pointing to problems with the dismantling process. Related Links: PHOTO: Dallas Morning News Coverage of Collapse VIDEO: WFAA Coverage of Collapse Crews at the site of the new $60-million Arts and Technology Building being built on the campus were disassembling the crane when it collapsed, killing two workers. The workers were Thomas Fairbrother Jr., 58, of Austin and Terry Weaver, 50, of
George W. Bush, the 43rd U.S. president, made his mark in Texas earlier in his career through oil exploration. Now under construction, the George W. Bush Presidential Center at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas seeks to become a landmark of energy efficiency. Dedicated to preserving the artifacts and history of the Bush presidency, the $250-million library complex is designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification, a rare honor in the state. Related Links: Engineering News Record Architectural Record "We opted to go for platinum, partly because we wanted to do it as a challenge and due to the high profile
Despite a strong assortment of megaprojects around the region, most top design firms continue to struggle in a soft market. Related Links: Engineering News Record Architectural Record Combined revenue for the top 75 design firms in Texas and Louisiana dipped 7.7% last year to $2.571 billion from $2.786 billion in 2010. Still, a few top firms have found success in troubled times.Energized Market The booming oil and gas sector, fueled largely by development in the Eagle Ford shale areas of south Texas, is providing a wide range of opportunities for designers.Hatch Mott MacDonald built its presence in the region in
Continued expansion at the Tower 55 site in Fort Worth and other improvement projects are part of BNSF Railway Company’s $199-million maintenance and expansion plan in Texas this year. BNSF announced its 2012 capacity enhancement projects May 23. The planned capital investments in Texas are part of BNSF's total 2012 capital commitment of $3.9 billion. The plan includes expansion of rail capacity at Tower 55, the realignment of its mainline for the extension of the Alliance Airport runway just north of Fort Worth, replacement of the Galveston Causeway Bridge, installation of wheel detectors in Galveston, improvements to BNSF's Amarillo car
The Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas awarded a contract to Skanska to construct a hotel and expand and renovate its existing casino in Eagle Pass, Texas. The $46.5-million project includes the addition of about 183,000-sq-ft, 250-room hotel facility with restaurants, retail space, meeting rooms and a fitness center. The project also includes an 80,000-sq-ft renovation and expansion of the existing casino facility. Construction will begin in June and is expected to complete by August 2013.
A consortium of Baton Rouge-based Petroplex International, Macquarie Group and Harley Franco, CEO and founder of Harley Marine Services, announced May 9 that it has raised capital to move ahead with development of a $600-million multi-modal bulk liquid terminal in St. James Parish. The facility has a projected initial storage capacity of 4-million to 6-million barrels. Construction is expected to commence during the first half of 2013, and the facility is expected to begin commercial operations during 2014. Petroplex will build a storage and distribution terminal for crude oil, refined petroleum products, fuel oil, chemicals, agrichemicals, renewable fuels, and other commercial liquid
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