Twin Cities Campus

The project renovated of the Old Main Heating Plant originally constructed in 1912. Old Main has undergone several renovations/additions over the years & houses seven coal & gas fired boilers, the last of which was shut down for steam production in 2000. The building housed a steam pipe fitter workshop area and provides key access points to the deep steam tunnels.

The project consisted of installing combined heat and power generation equipment in the building and provided space planned for a future package boiler and future chilled water plant equipment to create a multi-function Old Main facility. The combined heat and power equipment represents a two stage configuration. First, the new natural gas fired turbine generates electricity for use on the Minneapolis campus. Second, the new heat recovery steam boiler recovers heat from the combustion gases that are discharged from the turbine to generate the required steam capacity. The combined heat and power equipment solution was chosen because the added benefit of electricity generation for use on campus further reduced the carbon footprint for the University and represents the best long term sustainable solution from an energy use standpoint. Additionally, the plant was designed with space allocated for future installation of a packaged boiler as well as two steam turbine-driven chillers. The building consists of approximately 39,600 gross square feet.