Making Moves into the Energy Sector in the Mid-Atlantic

The winter season is usually when projects start to wind down, but that's not the case in the Mid-Atlantic! This fall/winter, Independence Excavating (IX) was recruited for the coveted Competitive Power Ventures (CPV) – St Charles Energy Plant project in Waldorf, Maryland. CPV plans to build and operate the new facility on a 77-acre site, in an industrial zone which has long been set aside for a power plant, and which was—previously— fully permitted by another power company. The site is adjacent to an existing asphalt plant, the Charles County landfill, and an existing power line, eliminating the need to construct new transmission towers or power lines.

Independence won the bid to perform the initial earthwork and utilities for this project back in August of 2014. Within the contract, IX covered everything from installation of environmental controls, rough grading of 180,000 cubic yards, and surcharging part of the site. Additional items installed included: 6500 LF of storm water piping; 3200 LF of water line, and; 1,500 LF of sanitary force main. IX also installed nearly 16 acres of temporary construction surfacing and 7,000 LF of duct bank.

From the beginning, the project schedule was intense; with the tight timeline, IX wasted no time mobilizing people and equipment. Site work started in September of 2014 and crews worked diligently through the holiday season in order to keep the project on track. Winter caused a few setbacks, but moisture conditioning the soil with calciment allowed the earthwork to proceed, despite non-optimal conditions.

Even with the aggressive schedule and the challenging winter conditions, the crews at the CPV Power Plant and the entire Mid-Atlantic division kept safety as their primary focus; Independence Excavating's Mid-Atlantic division had zero recordable incidents in 2014!

Independence completed this project in March of 2015, allowing SNC Lavalin to proceed with their power plant construction. We wish to thank SNC Lavalin for the opportunity to work for them on this project, and we look forward to future opportunities to build upon this professional relationship.