Power play

The once coal-, then oil-fired Benning Road Power Plant in the District of Columbia, owned and operated by Pepco Energy Services since 2000, is in the process of being demolished. NorthStar, the general contractor selected by Pepco for the project, is a demolition-environmental firm that was recently formed by the merging of LVI Services Inc. of New York City, and NCM Group Holdings Inc. of Brea, California.

Founded in 1986, LVI is known as an industry leader of environmental remediation, deconstruction and decommissioning and emergency response services; and over the years, NCM has become a reputable demolition, dismantling, asset and scrap recovery, remediation and disaster response contractor. Together as NorthStar, the companies tackle challenging commercial, government, and industrial projects with a unique blend of expertise and an extensive set of services.

Constructed in 1906, the Benning Road Power Plant occupies approximately 25 percent of the Pepco facility’s 77 acres. As a supplier of most of the power in the D.C. area, Pepco eliminated the need of the electricity generated by the Benning Power Plant by adapting to newer developments and upgrading its transmission grid. Pepco ceased operation of the plant in 2012, and placed it into an idle, cold-closure state, where major equipment such as generators, boilers and cooling towers were no longer operable. It was decided that it would be best for Pepco, neighboring communities and the District of Columbia, if the plant were dismantled and removed from the premises. Company Wrench, Carroll, Ohio, provided NorthStar with exclusive services to successfully complete the project and increase productivity on site. NorthStar has had experience with Company Wrench in the past, and as the general contractor, asked for Company Wrench to aid in the planning and demolition of the Benning Road Power Plant project.

Company Wrench, which operates in 10 locations across seven states, specializes in the manufacturing, sales, rentals, parts and service of scrap, demolition and construction equipment. All equipment on site at the Benning Road Power Plant, with the exception of one machine, was provided to NorthStar through a rental-purchase agreement by Company Wrench’s Williamstown, New Jersey, facility. Company Wrench provided NorthStar with excavators from Houston-based Kobelco.

“The power plant demo is a rough job,” explains Michael Gilmartin, northeast regional manager of Company Wrench. “The Kobelco excavators are great because they keep the operators in a comfortable position for extended periods of time.”

In addition to Kobelco excavators, including the SK850, SK500 and SK350, Company Wrench also provided nine attachments to NorthStar through which the company has found increased productivity. The attachments consist of LaBounty MSD 3000R and MSD 4000R shears; multiple hammers including a massive, second member 16,000-pound hammer; two patented Dust Destroyers; and multiple pulverizers.

“The attachments we’re using not only help us get the job done, but they help us get the job done faster,” explains Nick Bucci, assistant project manager for NorthStar.

NorthStar not only requested that Company Wrench provide a recommendation of equipment, but also asked for a proposal regarding the most efficient way to dismantle the power plant.

“An added bonus to the demolition is that all materials are being recycled on site,” says Gilmartin.
 

Phases of demolition

The demolition entails a series of activities including taking down structures using conventional mechanical equipment, clearing of demolition debris and regrading the site. A controlled implosion had been planned for a portion of the demolition, but because of the success of traditional methods of demolition, Pepco was able to use conventional methods to demolish the entire power plant and maintain the projected schedule of completing the project by spring 2015.

The dismantling of the power plant is a carefully planned and executed project. Dismantling of the power plant can be grouped into the following phases.

Phase 1: Dismantling of the cooling towers (September 2013 — December 2013) Crews completed dismantling of the two cooling towers adjacent to the power plant in December 2013. These structures were made primarily of wood, plastic, fiberglass and steel, so conventional methods of demolition — including hammers, shears and heavy equipment — were used. The work was performed with all of the required regulatory, environmental and local agency permits.

Phase 2: Demolition of the Benning Power Plant buildings and equipment (November 2013 — spring 2015) The second phase of the project focused on the conventional dismantling of most of the main power plant structures, including all five smokestacks and buildings that housed the power plant equipment. The first step in Phase 2 was the removal of asbestos and other potentially hazardous building materials from all of the power plant structures under carefully controlled conditions.

Phase 3: Restoration (spring 2015) Pepco is now processing steel for recycling, which will be followed by backfilling of the foundation and then grading of the area. At the completion of the project, the site will be inspected and all construction equipment then will be removed.

When the asbestos removal was completed, crews used conventional methods of demolition to dismantle the plant structures and smokestacks safely and in compliance with all applicable government regulation standards and permitting requirements.

A majority of the conventional demolition on site, from tearing down structures that are more than 50 feet high to moving 300 ton turbines, is being done using Kobelco’s 181,440-pound SK850 mass excavator. The utilization of the SK850 combined with Company Wrench’s exclusive dual pin boom gives the excavator an additional 8 feet of height, bringing the machine’s extended height to 35 feet, 1 inch, giving it a maximum reach of 44 feet. The dual pin boom allows operators to reach heights that are not accessible with smaller machines.

“We’ve received excellent feedback from NorthStar about Kobelco excavators,” says Gilmartin. “The operators like the flexibility Kobelco excavators provide in addition to how smooth they run compared to other brands.”

Increased productivity also is being realized through the use of exclusive Company Wrench attachments. “The patented second member hammer is a beast,” says Bucci. “It’s helping us get through the challenging project of pulverizing pedestals that are over 100 years old and made of concrete 2-feet deep with metal underneath.”

Bucci adds, “The entire process with Company Wrench has been very instrumental. Their sales and service team got the Kobelco machines on site quickly. We started a month behind schedule but quickly caught up to where we needed to be because of the top-notch, efficient equipment Company Wrench recommended and is providing to us.”

Although Company Wrench has represented many brands over the years, Kobelco remains one of its strongest. “We have had excellent experiences with Kobelco,” says Gilmartin. “Its excavators are not only reliable, but the company has outstanding customer service.”
 

Minimizing impact

Pepco says it is committed to working safely and respectfully in the neighborhood and will continue to work diligently to minimize the impact of the power plant demolition project on residents in surrounding communities. In accordance with the applicable federal and District of Columbia air quality regulatory requirements, all trucks removing debris will be fully covered to avoid spillage on the roads.

As the project continues, the number of trucks entering and exiting the site will be between 20 and 50 trucks per day. Noise levels from power plant demolition will comply with city noise ordinances.

Pepco says its commitment to the community is to ensure that the dismantling of the power plant is conducted safely and in compliance with all applicable government regulations standards and permitting requirements. Pepco site supervisors, contractors and security and safety teams have established appropriate procedures to monitor all work activities and prevent potential hazards. The company also has shown its commitment to keeping the community informed about this powe plant demolition project every step of the way. In addition to community meetings, information and updates also are available at www.benningservicecenter.com.

Project map restoration is the final phase of the controlled plan, which involves grading and leveling the ground surface of where the plant once stood. This phase is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2015.

Information in this article was provided by Houston-based Kobelco and Pepco Energy Services, Washington.