BEHIND-THE-SCENES “HARD HAT” TOUR OF REPLACEMENT CENTRAL UTILITY PLANT SHOWCASES MODERN, ENERGY-EFFICIENT EQUIPMENT IN THE HEART OF LAX
(Los Angeles, California -- April 11, 2013) Members of the media were invited today to join airport officials on a construction “hard hat” tour of the $438-million replacement Central Utility Plant (CUP) at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The new modern, state-of-the-art, energy-efficient, computer-managed utility plant will provide the heating and energy needs of the new, modernized LAX. The tour provided an opportunity to see the interior of the facility before it goes into operation with the completion of Phase 1 construction this September.
“The Central Utility Plant at LAX is a perfect example of growing Los Angeles green,” Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said. “As part of the $4.1 billion retrofit of LAX, the upgraded utility plant meets the demands of a thriving 21st century international airport while maintaining environmental sustainability. By following the City’s daily energy cycle, the new plant allows LAX to work smarter, not harder, in our efforts toward increased energy efficiency.”
The four-story, 64,000-square-foot facility will replace the existing 50-year-old utility plant and complies with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certification standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council. The new CUP’s innovative co-generation turbine will produce electricity and steam that, in turn, will help power a second set of generators to meet cooling and heating requirements in LAX buildings. This equipment reduces fuel consumption by up to 30 percent when compared to power generation done separately.
The new CUP also will be 60 percent more efficient in producing chilled water, using a thermal-energy storage tank with capacity for 1.6 million gallons of water and 15,500 ton-hours of cooling.
Water will be cooled late at night when electricity rates are lowest. The chilled water can then be used to cool the terminals during the day when passenger traffic is at its peak. This design eliminates the need to use a 3,260-ton chiller during the day.
“The need for reliable utility service and greater energy-efficiency is the reason that the new CUP is so crucial and why it will be the true heart of LAX when completed,” said Van Thompson, senior construction engineer Los Angeles World Airports.
When completed, the new CUP will have the capacity to:
· Pump 97.1 million gallons of water daily, enough to fill 5,000 average-size swimming pools
· Provide enough chilled water to cool 373,500 homes
· Provide enough hot water for use in and to heat 16,200 homes
· Generate enough electricity to power 9,100 homes
The new CUP is a design-build project is being built by Clark-McCarthy joint venture. Phase 1 construction, scheduled to be completed in September 2013, includes the plant itself along with all its major systems, water and electricity distribution systems. Phase 2 entails demolition of the nearly 50-year-old existing CUP facility and the activation of the cooling towers. Construction on Phase 2 will continue through August 2014.
The various construction projects at LAX are being funded by a combination of revenue bonds, LAX operating revenues and capital improvement funds, passenger facility charges, airline capital for proprietary improvements, and federal grants from the Federal Aviation Administration (airfield improvements) and Transportation Security Administration (in-line baggage screening improvements). No monies from the Los Angeles City general fund are being used.
About Los Angeles International Airport
LAX is the sixth busiest airport in the world and third in the United States, offering 680 daily flights to 96 domestic cities and 930 weekly nonstop flights to 59 cities in 30 countries on 63 commercial air carriers. It ranks 14th in the world and fifth in the U.S. in air cargo tonnage processed. In 2012, LAX served nearly 63.7 million passengers, processed over 1.9 million tons of air cargo valued at nearly $89.6 billion, and handled 605,480 aircraft operations (landings and takeoffs). An economic impact study in 2011 reported that operations at LAX generated 294,400 jobs in
Los Angeles County with labor income of $13.6 billion and economic output of more than $39.7 billion. This activity added $2.5 billion to local and state revenues. LAX is part of a system of three Southern California airports – along with LA/Ontario International and Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports, a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City’s general fund.
