FirstEnergy's W. H. Sammis Plant Wins Construction Project of the Year Award

AKRON, Ohio, Dec. 7, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- A five-year, $1.8 billion project to retrofit environmental equipment at FirstEnergy's (NYSE: FE) W. H. Sammis Plant in Stratton, Ohio, was recognized as the construction project of the year at the Platts Global Energy Awards held December 2, 2010, in New York City.  The awards honor outstanding achievement in the energy industry, recognizing corporate and individual accomplishments, innovation and entrepreneurship.

The award was shared with Bechtel Power Corporation, the engineering, design, and procurement contractor for the majority of the project and general contractor for the construction work; Babcock & Wilcox for the design and installation of the key components of the project – scrubbers and selective catalytic reduction equipment; and Stantec Consulting Services for providing additional engineering services.

"The W. H. Sammis project is one of the largest air quality control retrofits in the history of the United States and we are honored to be recognized for this accomplishment," said Gary Leidich, executive vice president and president of FirstEnergy Generation.  "The fact that this five-year project was completed on time and within the original budget is a testament to the dedication and cooperation of the contractors, suppliers, employees and the local community throughout the construction process."

"While the judges agreed that retro-fitting coal-fired power plants is not a new concept, this mega project stood out as a world class engineering, construction and management accomplishment by some of the most experienced companies in the construction business," said Patsy Wurster, Platts Director of Strategic Media and head of the Global Energy Awards program.

The W. H. Sammis retrofit project was considered one of the most difficult in the country because of the extremely limited space for installation of the new air emission control equipment and systems.  The plant is surrounded by the Ohio River, the Cumberland Lock and Dam, Ohio State Highway Route 7 (SR 7), the Village of Stratton and a Norfolk Southern Railroad line.  Overall, more than 18 months were spent selecting the technology, optimizing the system designs and planning the project schedule.  The project construction sequence and final equipment tie-ins were coordinated and integrated with on-going W. H. Sammis Plant operations and planned outages.

FirstEnergy is a diversified energy company headquartered in Akron, Ohio.  Its subsidiaries and affiliates are involved in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, as well as energy management and other energy-related services.  Its seven electric utility operating companies comprise the nation's fifth largest investor-owned electric system, based on 4.5 million customers served within a 36,100-square-mile area of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey; and its generation subsidiaries control approximately 14,000 megawatts of capacity.

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SOURCE FirstEnergy