Work began May 1 on pouring the concrete shell for a 580-foot chimney at Basin Electric's Leland Olds Station near Stantion, ND. It's part of a $410-million project to install additional emission control technology at the plant.
Foundation work for the Leland Olds project, which began in July 2007, will be continuing into this fall. However, the foundation for the chimney was completed last summer.
Mark Nygard, construction supervisor, said the goal for the chimney is to pour about 10 to 12 feet of concrete every day. The chimney will require about 6,000 cubic yards of concrete.
Nygard added, barring any delays, they expect the concrete shell to be complete by mid-July. Commercial operation for the Unit 2 scrubber is scheduled for the fall of 2009 and the fall of 2010 for Unit 1.