Concord Engineering Group was awarded engineering, procurement and construction management for a $34 million project at the University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro (UMCPP) that will provide a carbon emission reduction equivalent to taking 1,900 cars off the road per year.
NRG Thermal, LLC, a subsidiary of Princeton based NRG Energy, Inc., owns and will operate the plant that is now under construction. This comprehensive system, referred to as CHP+NRGSM, includes three 24,000-lb/hr. boilers, three 1,000-ton electric chillers, a 700-ton steam absorption chiller, a 4.6 MW gas turbine generator, a heat recovery steam generator, emergency backup generators, and a Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system for off-peak chilled water production.
The combined heating and cooling plant is expected to receive grants from New Jersey through the NJ Board of Public Utilities and benefit from Federal Tax Credits. When completed in January 2012, the plant’s systems will be monitored and controlled through an advanced software system that optimizes energy use and minimizes the Medical Center’s utility costs and carbon footprint
“This energy project will allow the hospital to have electricity from three independent sources: the gas turbine generator, a dual-feed redundant supply from the utility grid, and backup emergency generators. Reliable and continuous energy supply is particularly important to a facility like UMCPP,” said Michael Fischette, who founded Concord Engineering in 1989.
“At the completion of this project, the Princeton Medical Center will have more visibility of and control over energy costs,” Fischette continued. “As a result, the hospital will experience cost reduction benefits without capital expenditure and be able to put more resources into its mission of delivering quality health care.”
Concord Engineering Group is working with NRG Thermal on the engineering, procurement, construction management and installation of the Thermal Energy Storage facility and the CHP+NRGSM Plant. According to Bill Goodwin, NRG Project Manager, “We’re pleased with the work Concord is doing, helping us build a state of the art energy-efficient system that will support one of the most advanced healthcare facilities in the nation.”
Slated to open in early 2012, UMCPP will be an approximately 636,000 square-foot facility with more than 237 single patient rooms, with the ability to double the size of the facility in the future. The hospital is located on 50 acres of a 170-acre health campus that will host health-related uses such as a modern medical office building attached to the hospital, an education center (within the hospital), a health and fitness center, a skilled nursing facility, a pediatric services facility, age restricted housing including assisted living and independent housing, plus a beautiful 32-acre public park along the Millstone River. The new facility will be located on Route 1 in Plainsboro, New Jersey and will replace the existing hospital on Witherspoon Street in Princeton.
“Princeton HealthCare System, a leading provider of a variety of healthcare services including the acute care hospital University Medical Center at Princeton to be known as University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro, is inspired by the tremendous opportunity to build a new hospital from the ground up,” said Pam Hersh, Vice President for Government and Community Affairs for Princeton HealthCare System.
“With the help of Concord Engineering, we will construct one of the finest hospitals in the United States, equipped with the most advanced energy technology available and designed so that every feature improves the quality of care.” Hersh continued. “These energy conservation measures incorporate the latest in green building principles to benefit the health of the hospital’s patients and employees, as well as that of the residents living in the community.”
Concord Engineering Group is a full-service design, energy engineering. and commissioning firm that specializes in energy master planning, construction management, MEP/FP engineering, energy auditing, utility infrastructure, renewable technologies (solar, wind, and landfill gas), combined heat & power, geothermal engineering, and high voltage substation design. The firm is headquartered in Voorhees, NJ with offices in Atlantic City and New York City. For more information, visit www.ceg-inc.net.
