The Challenge

The Conti Group was the Owners Project Manager and Construction Manager for the project development, engineering, design, construction, and commissioning of these identical, state-of-the-art facilities.  (The contract was under Design Build Professionals, Inc., from whom we acquired all the operating assets.) The original project called for two-275 MW facilities to be built simultaneously on two different project sites. As work was underway, Navasota awarded us an additional phase that increased each plant’s output to 550 MW by duplicating the work in Phase 1. At full operation, CBEC helps meet the growing energy needs of Texas while protecting the state's natural environment by displacing less efficient natural gas steam generating facilities.

The Solution

While these projects themselves are identical, site conditions were different, and it was a logistical and planning challenge to engineer and construct both power plants concurrently. Subcontractors and equipment were identified and utilized from across the nation, for example.  The project team overcame challenging soil conditions caused by the heavy rains that occurred during Phase I of the project, producing deep mud thus limiting equipment mobility and logistics. Additionally, the expansive soil conditions threatened the project milestones. Through innovative use of a limestone mixture into the soil, much of the schedule and cost impact of the expansive soil conditions were mitigated and the project was completed on schedule.

Between the two plants, crews worked over a million hours onsite with no OSHA recordables, attesting to strong project management, planning and culture of safety.

Scope of Work