Cliff Heating Plant Update: Phase 2 of the temporary boiler plant construction is complete

Phase 2 of the temporary boiler plant construction is complete

February 25, 2011

Phase 1 of the construction of a temporary boiler plant adjacent to the Cliff Heating and Cooling Plant was completed in January 2010; the four new boilers are operating and producing the steam required to heat the buildings on the Cliff Plant distribution system. The Gatineau Plant continues to act as backup to the temporary plant.

Phase 2 of the temporary plant project was completed in June 2010. Following a competitive tender process, Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) awarded a contract in February 2010 for the addition of a superheated steam boiler section and the installation of three superheated steam boilers. Superheated steam produced by these boilers will be piped into the chiller section of the Cliff Heating and Cooling Plant to run the steam-driven turbine chillers. These chillers produce the chilled water used to cool federal buildings.

National Research Council Plant project to begin later this year

In February 2010 a competitive process was launched on MERX™ for a design-build contract to install boilers and associated equipment at the National Research Council (NRC) Plant at 100 Sussex Drive. The contract will also include the installation of piping to connect the NRC Plant to the Cliff Plant distribution system. This project had been planned previously, but became a priority and was accelerated as a result of the Cliff Plant explosion. Once completed in April 2012, the NRC Plant will be able to replace the Gatineau Plant as backup to the Cliff Plant.

Investments made in the Gatineau Plant following the October 19, 2009 explosion were critical in enabling PWGSC to meet the heating requirements of the buildings on the Cliff Plant distribution system until Phase 1 of the construction of the temporary boiler plant was completed. The NRC Plant currently does not have steam-producing equipment. However, due to the extensive upgrades that would be required to ensure the reliability of the piping connecting the Gatineau Plant with the Cliff Plant distribution system, and the greater heat loss associated with piping steam from Gatineau, the NRC Plant is a more economical and environmentally sustainable solution than the Gatineau Plan. Therefore, the accelerated NRC Plant development will continue. The Gatineau Plant will continue to heat the National Printing Bureau building in Gatineau.

Cliff Central Heating and Cooling Plant clean up and rehabilitation

Asbestos removal in the boiler section of the Cliff Heating Plant by PCL Constructors was completed in June 2010. The removal of the damaged equipment and other clean-up activities were completed in December 2010.

An options analysis performed by a third-party consulting engineering firm was completed in May 2010 to recommend the most appropriate direction for the long-term rehabilitation of the Cliff Plant. The options examined in this report are listed below and are being reviewed by Public Works and Government Services Canada:

  1. Operating with the temporary boiler plant and existing cooling plant.
  2. Repair and recertification of the existing boiler plant.
  3. Replacement of the boiler plant only.
  4. Replacement of the boiler and cooling plant in one project.
  5. Replacement of the boiler and cooling plants in a phased manner, while sustaining current operations.
  6. Other possible options (e.g. Biomass boiler, co-generation, wind power, solar energy).

Finding a long-term solution to the Government’s heating and cooling needs in the National Capital Area

Meanwhile, the Energy Services Acquisition Program initiative to transform how government acquires and delivers heating, cooling and energy for its buildings in the National Capital Region continues. Detailed consultations with leaders from across the energy services industry were conducted to help determine the best course of action for these services and associated infrastructure.

Regardless of the direction that government will take as a result of its Energy Services Acquisition Program, investments must be made to restore full heating and cooling capacity to the Cliff Heating Plant distribution system to ensure it can support the continuing operations of Parliament and central government functions on a year-round basis.

Investigations into the cause of the October 19, 2009 incident are ongoing.