BWFH power plant upgrades continue with tie-in of new emergency generators

Earlier this year, Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital embarked on an 18-month project to upgrade its central power plant, which is 40 years old. The goal of the project is to improve energy efficiency and reduce air emissions. It will also ultimately result in an approximate annual energy savings of $1 million.

The first phase of the project is nearing completion. New emergency generators have been delivered and installed on their platforms and connections are being made. “It’s a fairly complex process,” says Paul Keating, Director of Facilities at BWFH. “Right now, high-voltage electrical work is occurring inside the plant and locations throughout the hospital’s mechanical spaces.”

Once the new generators are completely tied into the system, they must be certified, commissioned and approved for operation by the Boston Fire Department, the electrical inspector for the City of Boston and the Department of Environmental Protection. Keating says, “I think the Department of Environmental Protection is enthusiastic about the work we are doing because we are significantly reducing the emissions the hospital will generate. That’s a good thing.” Keating hopes to have the new generators running very soon.

After the new generators are approved for operation, phase two of the project can begin. “We’re pulling out two high-pressure boilers that are original to the building when it opened in 1976 and replacing them. Right now oil is their fuel source. In the finished product they will be dual fuel with natural gas as the primary fuel source,” says Keating. “We are also replacing a chiller which produces air conditioning for the hospital and associated power plant infrastructure.”