INDUSTRIAL

Eklutna Generation Station Power Block

Structural steel detailing for a power generation facility built around heavy industrial equipment.

LocationEklutna, Alaska
Client and FabricatorAllied Steel
Structural Steel1,520 tons
Generating Capacity171 MW

Project overview

Structural steel supporting MEA’s power generation.

Developed by Matanuska Electric Association near Anchorage, Alaska, Eklutna Generation Station is a 171-megawatt power facility serving the utility’s customers.

Its 45,000-square-foot power block houses ten Wärtsilä reciprocating engines. The building’s steel structure incorporates framing for heavy overhead cranes used to install and service major equipment, while providing an enclosure suited to southcentral Alaska’s demanding climate.

Working for Allied Steel, Anatomic provided structural steel detailing for the 1,520-ton steel package.

Erected structural steel frame at the MEA power-generation turbine building 1,520 Tons detailed Enlarge view
Erected structural steel frame at the MEA power-generation turbine building

Model to field

From the structural model to the power block on site.

The detailed steel model supported the preparation of fabrication and erection information for the power block’s heavy industrial structure.

Overall structural steel model for Eklutna Generation Station Power Block01 / Coordinated model
Overall structural steel model for Eklutna Generation Station Power Block
Project photograph of Eklutna Generation Station Power Block02 / Fabrication & field
Project photograph of Eklutna Generation Station Power Block

Technical complexity

Precision where structural steel and industrial equipment meet.

01

Heavy crane-supporting steel

The structural frame incorporates overhead crane support systems used to lift, position and maintain large engine components.

02

Equipment and structural interfaces

Steel framing had to accommodate the generating equipment, its layout and the access required for installation and maintenance.

03

Industrial operating conditions

The building’s structural design accounted for heavy machinery, operational vibration and the demanding environment of southcentral Alaska.

04

Fabrication and erection coordination

Detailing the heavy industrial steel package required accurate member geometry and connection information to support fabrication and field assembly.