EPCs face new challenges with coal replacing gas-fired projects

摘要

Soaring natural gas fuel prices and diminishing supply are causing a decrease in US combined cycle projects and an increase in integrated gasification power generation and supercritical pulverized coal steam power plant projects. Just as the electric power industry seemed to begin its recovery from a prolonged generation capacity glut that brought construction of new power plants in the US to a virtual halt, a number of new problems face EPCs working in the power generation sector. Most of these problems have been created by a shift away from relatively small clean-burning natural gas fueled combined cycle plants to much larger coal-based power generation that involves advanced engineering and environmental control technologies.