HOLLAND, MI - Months before its giant turbines generate a single spark of electricity, the new Holland Energy Park is gaining recognition for its sustainable design.
The $240 million project being built on the eastern edge of downtown Holland recently received the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure's Envision Platinum award, the city-owned utility announced on Tuesday, July 19.
The natural gas-powered plant, which will go online next year, is the first power plant to win an Envision award from the institute, which recognizes sustainable design for public infrastructure in a process similar to the LEED certification for buildings.
"Holland Energy Park is the product of over a decade of thoughtful planning and community engagement to provide responsible, sustainable energy for Holland," said Dave Koster, general manager of the Holland Board of Public Works.
"Our community set out to make the Holland Energy Park a benchmark for sustainable infrastructure development," Koster said. "We are proud that through strenuous efforts Holland Energy Park earned ISI's highest recognition level."
Project Manager Daniel Nally said the award recognizes the planning process that went into designing the plant, which will replace a coal-fired generating plant on the shore of Lake Macatawa at the western end of downtown Holland.
Working two 10-hour shifts five days a week, the project's 450 workers have completed installing the major components that were shipped to Holland from Sweden, Korea and the Czech Republic. Most of the work currently underway involves connecting the pipes and wiring, Nally said.
Nally said they plan to test fire the boilers for the first time this November. The plant should be ready to go online by mid-year.
When completed, the plant will be one of the most efficient power generation plants in the world as it generates electricity and steam. Excess heat from the plant also will operate the downtown area's snowmelt system.
"We're Dutch," said Nally, a former Consumers Energy executive and native of nearby Fennville. "We're going to pull every red cent we can out of those BTUs (British Thermal Units)."
The Envision Award not only recognizes the design of the plant, but also the public process the city's Board of Public Works used to come up with the design of the plant, Koster said. "It's been a very thorough and open process," he said.
The 26-acre site, which was assembled by acquiring 61 parcels that include 27 homes, eight commercial buildings, and a factory, was cleared with an eye toward recycling and natural preservation, Koster said. Except for hazardous waste, 83 percent of the asphalt, building materials and waste on the site was recycled.
When completed, the plant will be open and accessible to the public, who will be able to observe the control room and its output from large glass windows.
The brick house that has served as the construction headquarters for the project will be relocated when the project is completed next year.
Jim Harger covers business for Mlive Media Group. Email him at jharger@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter or Facebook or Google+.