Opportunity
The Oak Creek Power Plant, 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Milwaukee on the shore of Lake Michigan, generates 1,135 megawatts of power from four coal-fueled steam turbines.
In 2010 and 2011, We Energies added two power units at the nearby Elm Road Generating Station, providing an additional 1,230 megawatts.
Solution
Mott MacDonald designed the shafts, tunnel, and other infrastructure for a lake-water intake system capable of supplying 2.2 billion gallons a day (8.3 million cubic meters) to the Oak Creek and Elm Road plants.
A tunnel with a finished interior diameter of 25 feet (8 meters) was excavated through 1.75 miles (2.8 kilometers) of rock. Four steel-lined intake shafts 12 feet (3.7 meters) in diameter were constructed.
Outcome
The new system provides a robust supply of cooling water for the power plants. Wedgewire screens made of a special alloy keep zebra mussels from fouling and entering the water intakes — a constant problem on the Great Lakes.