Power & CHPP

Power Generation and Combined Heat and Power Plant Construction Across the Western United States

When your organization needs a power generation construction partner with proven capabilities in the most demanding environments, the choice of contractor determines project success. Haskell Corporation delivers comprehensive power and CHPP construction services throughout Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and North Dakota—combining five generations of industrial construction expertise with integrated fabrication capabilities that few competitors can match.

Why Combined Heat and Power Construction Requires Specialized Expertise

Combined heat and power plant construction represents one of the most technically complex challenges in industrial construction. Unlike conventional power generation facilities, CHPP projects demand seamless integration of thermal and electrical systems, precise coordination of multiple engineering disciplines, and contractors who understand both the fabrication and field installation requirements. The difference between a successfully commissioned facility and one plagued by startup delays often comes down to the construction team's ability to self-perform critical scopes while managing the intricate interfaces between mechanical, electrical, structural, and controls systems.

Haskell's approach to power generation construction in western US projects centers on vertical integration. Our Bellingham, Washington headquarters houses both corporate offices and fabrication facilities where structural steel and process piping are fabricated under the same roof where project teams plan construction sequences. This integrated fabrication construction model means the engineers designing your pipe spools work directly with the craftspeople who will install them in the field—eliminating the communication gaps that plague projects relying entirely on third-party fabricators and installation subcontractors.

Self-Perform Mechanical Construction Power: The Haskell Difference

The industrial power construction market divides into two categories: contractors who manage subcontractors, and contractors who execute critical work with their own forces. Haskell operates in the latter category, bringing self-perform mechanical construction power capabilities that include structural steel erection, heavy equipment setting, process piping installation, and mechanical systems integration. This self-performance capability—demonstrated at up to 40% on major projects—provides schedule certainty, quality control, and accountability that purely management-focused contractors cannot deliver.

Consider the University of Alaska Fairbanks Combined Heat and Power Plant, where the Haskell-Davis team served as Construction Manager at Risk. This project required installing a 240,000-pound-per-hour circulating fluidized bed boiler, a 17 MW turbine generator, and a modularized pipe bridge while coordinating more than one million construction labor hours. The complexity demanded a contractor who could both self-perform major mechanical scopes and orchestrate dozens of specialty subcontractors. The result earned recognition as POWER Magazine's 2019 Plant of the Year—validation that combined heat and power construction western states projects succeed when execution capability matches engineering ambition.

Alaska Power Plant Construction: Where Expertise Meets Extreme Conditions

Remote power generation construction separates qualified contractors from those merely claiming capability. Alaska power plant construction presents challenges that don't exist in temperate climates: permafrost foundations, extreme temperature swings, supply chain logistics measured in weeks rather than days, and construction windows compressed into brief summer months. Haskell has executed power generation projects across Alaska for decades, developing the planning disciplines, equipment inventories, and workforce relationships that harsh environment power construction demands.

The Matanuska Electric Association Eklutna Generation Station exemplifies this capability. As the key power-block contractor for this 170 MW facility using ten dual-fuel generating sets, Haskell installed major equipment, structural steel, process piping, electrical systems, instrumentation, and controls while managing the logistics of delivering materials to a remote Alaska location. The project required not just technical construction skills but also the ability to plan material deliveries around weather windows, coordinate housing and transportation for craft workers in areas with limited infrastructure, and maintain productivity in conditions that would halt less experienced contractors.

Military installation power construction in Alaska presents additional complexities. The Eielson Steam Turbine Generator Upgrade required installing a new 10 MW steam turbine generator and removing two older 2.5 MW units—all while the operating plant continued serving critical Air Force Base loads. This work demanded not just construction expertise but also the operational awareness to sequence work around mission-critical power requirements, coordinate with military security protocols, and execute precision lifts in confined spaces within an operating facility.

EPC Power Generation Services: Integrated Project Delivery

Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) power generation delivery requires contractors who can lead projects from concept through commissioning, coordinating design engineers, equipment suppliers, construction forces, and client stakeholders into a unified execution team. Haskell's EPC services power generation capabilities span the full project lifecycle, whether serving as the prime EPC contractor or delivering defined scopes within larger programs.

Our design-build power generation approach integrates constructability review into engineering development. When Haskell fabricators review piping isometrics during design, they identify installation conflicts before steel is cut. When our field superintendents participate in equipment layout reviews, they ensure crane access and maintenance clearances are designed in, not discovered as problems during installation. This front-end integration, supported by Advanced Work Packaging and WorkFace Planning methodologies, reduces rework, compresses schedules, and delivers the cost certainty that project owners require.

The Central Valley Gas Storage project in California demonstrates this integrated approach. Serving as general contractor for a $30 million compressor station with three 1,000-horsepower compressors, Haskell self-performed structural steel, equipment setting, and pipe fabrication and installation while managing subcontracted sitework, concrete, electrical, and building construction. The project required coordinating multiple engineering disciplines, sequencing deliveries of long-lead equipment, and executing precision installation work—all while maintaining the schedule commitments that drive project economics.

Modular Power Plant Construction: Fabrication Meets Field Installation

Modular power plant construction western US projects benefit from Haskell's proximity to transportation infrastructure and integrated fabrication capabilities. Our Bellingham facility sits near Interstate 5, rail access, and deep-sea ports, enabling us to fabricate modules ranging from small truckable skids to large sea-lift assemblies. This modular construction power approach shifts work from congested field sites to controlled fabrication environments where quality, safety, and productivity improve.

Since 1975, Haskell has fabricated process modules for the oil and gas industry, with capabilities that also include power-generation skids and industrial equipment assemblies for projects across the Western United States and Alaska. Its integrated fabrication facilities, secure laydown areas, and access to nearby deep-water ports support projects requiring staged assembly and marine transport. For Alaska projects, this capability is particularly valuable: fabricating major assemblies in Bellingham and shipping them north reduces the craft labor, equipment, and materials that must be mobilized to remote sites, where every resource costs more and takes longer to deploy.

Cogeneration Plant Construction Services: Technical Complexity at Scale

Cogeneration facility construction demands contractors who understand the thermodynamic relationships between heat and power production, the precise tolerances required in turbine-generator installations, and the control system integration that enables facilities to respond to varying thermal and electrical loads. Haskell's portfolio spans simple-cycle turbines, combined-cycle configurations, reciprocating internal combustion engine (RICE) installations, and biomass-fired systems—each requiring specialized construction knowledge.

RICE power generation construction, while less common than turbine-based systems, presents unique installation challenges. Reciprocating engines generate substantial vibration, requiring isolation foundations and structural designs that prevent resonance. They demand precise alignment of generator couplings, careful installation of exhaust heat recovery systems, and meticulous attention to cooling water systems. Haskell's experience with dual-fuel generating sets at the Eklutna project demonstrates our capability to execute these specialized installations while coordinating the electrical, mechanical, and controls integration that modern generating facilities require.

Industrial General Contractor Power: Multi-Craft Coordination

Power generation mechanical contractor work extends beyond the primary power island. Complete facilities require sitework, foundations, buildings, electrical distribution, water treatment systems, fuel handling, and dozens of other supporting systems. Haskell coordinates these multi-craft construction requirements through direct self-performance of core mechanical and structural scopes combined with management of specialty subcontractors for complementary trades.

This multi-craft power construction approach proved essential at the Tesoro/Marathon Clean Products Upgrade in Anacortes, Washington, where Haskell served as Mechanical General Contractor for refinery upgrades. The project required installing prefabricated modules, process piping, structural steel, equipment, electrical systems, and instrumentation and controls while the refinery continued operating. Advanced Work Packaging and WorkFace Planning methodologies enabled precise coordination of the multiple crafts, controlled interfaces between new and existing systems, and maintained the safety protocols that operating refineries demand.

Renewable Natural Gas Facility Construction: Emerging Energy Markets

As energy markets evolve, renewable natural gas facility construction represents a growing opportunity where power generation expertise intersects with sustainability objectives. RNG facilities often incorporate combined heat and power systems to maximize energy recovery from biogas production, requiring contractors who understand both the biological processes of anaerobic digestion and the mechanical systems of power generation. Haskell's experience with complex industrial facilities—from refineries to power plants—positions us to execute these emerging project types where process complexity meets power generation technology.

Process Piping Power Plant: Fabrication-Driven Quality

Process pipe fabrication capabilities separate contractors who truly self-perform from those who merely coordinate subcontractors. Haskell's Bellingham fabrication facility produces structural steel and process piping for power generation, oil and gas, and industrial manufacturing projects. This in-house capability means critical piping systems are fabricated by craftspeople who understand field installation requirements, supported by quality control programs that verify dimensions, materials, and weld quality before components leave the shop.

The integration of fabrication with construction planning enables modular approaches that reduce field labor. Pipe spools fabricated and tested in the shop arrive at jobsites ready for installation, eliminating the weather delays, workspace constraints, and quality variables associated with stick-building piping systems in the field. For remote power generation construction projects, this approach proves especially valuable—every weld completed in Bellingham is one less weld requiring certified welders, welding equipment, and inspection resources at an Alaska jobsite where all three cost substantially more.

Choosing Your Power Generation Construction Contractor

Selecting an industrial general contractor power partner requires evaluating not just past project lists but actual capabilities: Do they self-perform critical scopes or simply manage others? Can they fabricate major components or must they rely entirely on suppliers? Have they executed work in environments similar to your project location? Do they bring methodologies like Advanced Work Packaging that demonstrably improve outcomes?

Haskell Corporation's 130-plus years of industrial construction experience, integrated steel and pipe fabrication, proven Alaska and remote-site capabilities, and commitment to self-performance create a foundation for successful power generation and combined heat and power plant construction. From EPC project delivery to construction management, from fabrication-only scopes to complete turnkey installations, we adapt our execution approach to match your project requirements.

Partner With Proven Power Construction Expertise

Power generation construction western states projects succeed when contractors combine technical expertise, fabrication capabilities, field execution skills, and the project management discipline to coordinate complex work across multiple disciplines and challenging environments. Whether you're planning a university combined heat and power system, a military installation upgrade, an industrial cogeneration facility, or a renewable energy project, Haskell brings the integrated capabilities that turn engineering concepts into operating facilities.

Contact Haskell Corporation to discuss your power generation or combined heat and power construction requirements. Our team will work with you to understand your project objectives, site constraints, and execution preferences, then develop an approach that leverages our self-perform capabilities, fabrication resources, and proven project delivery methodologies to meet your schedule, budget, and quality requirements.

Challenges Met. Promises Kept.