by PegNews wire

The total project investment in the plant will be $619 million.

IRVING — Fluor Corporation announced today that it was awarded a contract for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) for Dominion Virginia Power’s new 580 megawatt gas-fired, combined-cycle Bear Garden Power Station west of Richmond in Buckingham County, Va. Fluor will book the undisclosed contract value in the first quarter of 2009. Dominion Virginia Power said its total project investment would be $619 million, which includes costs for certain major equipment that are not part of Fluor’s booked value.

“Fluor will design and construct this new power station in partnership with Dominion Virginia Power using a reference plant concept that utilizes a proven design,” said Dave Dunning, president of Fluor’s Power Group. “We look forward to helping Dominion Virginia Power take this first step in meeting the electricity demand objective in Virginia, projected to be 4,000 megawatts of additional capacity over the next decade.”

“This power station will be but one component in bringing a balanced mix of new power generating units online, along with energy conservation and other new generation and technologies to meet the growing demand from our customers,” said Mark F. McGettrick, president and chief executive officer at Dominion Generation.

The new two-by-one combined cycle combustion turbine power facility will run primarily on natural gas with ultra low-sulfur diesel fuel as a backup. Fluor’s EPC scope will include the engineering, procurement and construction for the new facility, with Dominion Virginia Power providing the fuel, water, backfeed power and some of the major equipment. Final regulatory permits have been approved and construction activities have begun.

Commercial operation is expected in late summer of 2011. The new power station will be built on a site across the James River near Dominion’s current Bremo Power Station. The anticipated workforce is expected to peak around 500 at the site. Job fairs are currently being organized near Fluor’s Charlotte power operations center and field staffing near the project site.

Source: Fluor Corp.