High Desert Power Plant

In November 2000, Kiewit was selected to engineer, procure and construct the High Desert combined-cycle power plant. Completed nearly two and a half months ahead of schedule, the 830-megawatt power plant project involved placing three gas combustion turbines and a 323-megawatt steam turbine. The team also performed work in the control, administration, warehouse and water treatment facilities.

The plant water treatment systems treat raw water for use in the plant steam system, cooling tower, and for an aquifer banking system (ABS). The plant is a zero-liquid discharge facility and minimizes the amount of water required for cooling purposes. The ABS water is stored in an underground aquifer and is used as a backup source of water in the event the primary water supply is interrupted.

Major material quantities used during construction included 25,000 cubic yards of concrete, 850 tons of structural steel, 152,000 feet of piping, 120,000 cubic yards of excavation and 970,000 feet of electrical cable.

In 2003, POWER magazine awarded the High Desert Power Plant the Plant of the Year.