COVERT TWP. - Way off the beaten track near this southwest Michigan community, the building trades are hard at work erecting a project that will soon be the largest employer of construction workers in the state.

Under construction is the Covert Generating Plant, a 1,170-megawatt, combined-cycle, natural gas-fired power plant that will employ about 1,000 building trades workers by the end of this summer. The merchant power plant, a wholly owned subsidiary of PG & E National Energy Group, will sell its output wholesale in the competitive open market, and become among the largest electrical power producers in Michigan.

Stone and Webster is the construction manager, architect and engineer for the plant, which is designed to work as a "baseload" operation. Unlike lower megawatt peaker plants -which kick on only during peak electrical demands - baseload plants are in operation around the clock. However, the Covert plant's design allows operators to reduce power output by turning off one or two of the plant's three generating units during periods of lower demand, such as on weekends.

"We're in a 26-month construction cycle, and getting the work done in that amount of time is a tall order," said Hugh Bourque, senior site manager for Stone and Webster. "The tradespeople have generally been very good out here, and they've done quality work. We've had excellent support from the Kalamazoo Building Trades; they've done an excellent job for us."

Construction began on the Covert plant in March 2001 on land about a mile from the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant, about 48 miles west of Kalamazoo. The location of the plant takes advantage of the existing electrical distribution grid, as well as an existing nearby natural gas line which will feed the new plant.

The project also involves building a water intake system extending into Lake Michigan, which will serve the plant and have the capability of meeting the future water needs of several neighboring communities.

The 29-acre construction site was chosen for its proximity to the Palisades plant, but the soil conditions left a lot to be desired. "The site has wet, sandy soil, and de-watering it was a tremendous challenge," Bourque said. "In some areas, the water table is only two or three feet down." A slurry wall all the way around the site, as well as deep pilings, solved that challenge.

Construction of the PG & E plant, which will cost an estimated $500 million, is part of a welcome, growing trend of power plant construction.

Until the late 1990s, power plant production across the country lagged behind the boom in demand. As a result, many areas of the country have been threatened with brownouts. And two years ago, a lack of electricity caused Californians to suffer through waves of rolling blackouts.

The market responded. "Since 1998, the U.S. has experienced an unprecedented and largely unexpected boom in new power plant construction," the Engineering News Record reported last December. "Between 1999 and 2001, about 83,000 megawatts of new capacity has come on line, adding nearly 10% to the generation base. Another 300,000 megawatt to 400,000 megawatts of new capacity is in the pipeline, virtually all proposed by independent 'merchant' developers who have replaced traditional utilities as the industry's driving force."

The ENR said few expect that all the projected capacity will actually be built. Market forces, constraints on available fuel, transmission capacity and financial resources are expected to be detriments.

"The construction of the Covert Generating Plant is an important step in meeting the growing need for electricity throughout the Midwest," said Chris Iribe, president and chief operating officer of the National Energy Group's East Region. "We look forward to the opportunity to provide efficient power at competitive costs."

According to the Michigan Public Service Commission, among power plants in our state that are still in the planning stages, another 6,100 megawatts of power could be brought on line. The commission said ongoing power plant construction of baseload and peaker plants in our state will result in the additional production capacity of 3,650 megawatt of electricity in the next two years. The PG & E plant is the largest of that group.

"It's a remote site, but it's not a very big site, so all the trades are all on top of each other," said Jim Roper, a foreman from Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Local 357, working for Morrison Construction. "But we're doing OK, and I think things have gone pretty well out here."

RIGGING AN AMMONIA header adjacent to one of the Covert Generating Plant's generators are Jerry Weiler of Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 85, right, and Jack Smith of Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Local 357 in the green jacket, above. They were working for Morrison Construction.

JACKING A STEEL SECTION on Unit 1 of the Covert Generating Plant are (l-r) boilermakers Eric Jones (Local 374), Oscar Greer (Local 37) and Jay Weurtz (Local 169). Ready to weld behind them is John Cox of Local 169.

RIGGING AN AMMONIA header adjacent to one of the Covert Generating Plant's generators are Jerry Weiler of Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 85, right, and Jack Smith of Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Local 357 in the green jacket, above. They were working for Morrison Construction.

JACKING A STEEL SECTION on Unit 1 of the Covert Generating Plant are (l-r) boilermakers Eric Jones (Local 374), Oscar Greer (Local 37) and Jay Weurtz (Local 169). Ready to weld behind them is John Cox of Local 169.