The completion date for oft-delayed Ohio State University’s new combined heat and power (CHP) plant on campus is being pushed back again.
Costs on the CHP facility are expected to reach close to $300 million, as it has been hit by supply chain and pandemic related issues virtually since the beginning on construction, according to the Columbus Dispatch. The facility, being built to fortify energy resiliency and reduce carbon emissions, is expected to open by early 2024, a few months later than expected.
The original price tag for the OSU CHP plant was expected to be about $278 million, according to an earlier story in EnergyTech. The more efficient generation operations, however could reduce carbon emissions 55 percent over current power and cut energy costs by $10 million a year, according to university reports.
Related story: University of Colorado CHP study: Lowering the Carbon Footprint of Conventional Power
Last summer, OSU Energy Partners, the private firm hired to manage the campus energy infrastructure, fired its original contractor after issuing a notice of default. A new EPC contractor was hired to restart work and guide the project to its hoped-for finish in February 2024.
The CHP plant will be comprised of electricity generators, a district heat and cooling loop and a central chiller facility. Natural gas-fired combustion turbines will generate the electricity used on campus, while exhaust heat from those units will be converted to beneficial heating and cooling resources.
Ohio State Energy Partners is contracted to operate and maintain the campus utility system for a 50-year agreement period, according to reports.
Construction on the Ohio State CHP plant to power the campus started close to three years ago. An earlier report indicated the university system is working out alternative arrangements for temporary power to some campus buildings while the CHP plant is still under construction.
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(Rod Walton, senior editor for EnergyTech, is a 15-year veteran of covering the energy industry both as a newspaper and trade journalist. He can be reached at [email protected]).
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