We combine our vast experience in energy and industrial engineering, design, and operation with regulatory and environmental expertise to complete projects that balance our clients’ technical, economic, and environmental goals. Because our project teams include environmental and regulatory personnel from the start, we can seamlessly integrate our energy and industrial projects with comprehensive environmental consulting, planning, and permitting services. We go beyond our extensive knowledge of pollution control equipment to provide the complete range of environmental services needed to successfully site, permit, construct, operate, and decommission projects.
Our clients rely on us for site selection studies; environmental impact assessments; air quality, water quality, and solid waste compliance and emissions evaluations; coordination and acquisition of environmental permits and licenses; and construction-stage environmental monitoring. We also conduct environmental due diligence reviews and environmental compliance audits for existing and proposed facilities. We are experienced in meeting the United States’ National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements for multiple federal agencies. Protecting our environment is one of the ways we make a meaningful impact on the communities where we work and live.
Compliance Planning
We understand the environmental regulations that apply to energy and industrial projects, and we know how to help our clients…
We understand the environmental regulations that apply to energy and industrial projects, and we know how to help our clients achieve and maintain compliance for their assets. We monitor and evaluate statutory and regulatory changes, including federal and state court decisions, to stay current with the environmental laws and regulations affecting the power industry.
One of the biggest challenges an energy or industrial facility must meet is compliance with multiple environmental regulations established by different local, state, and federal entities. We help clients carefully plan for current and future regulations, regulatory uncertainty, and site-specific requirements. Whether for a single unit, or for an entire fleet, we approach compliance planning with an in-depth understanding of plant operations, regulatory requirements, and technologies available for compliance. Our environmental services team consists of regulatory specialists who focus on reviewing and understanding the regulations as well as process engineers, who focus on understanding the technologies that reduce air and water emissions. We draw upon decades of experience retrofitting air quality and water quality control systems at existing plants, giving us the insight to help you achieve compliance evaluations with realistic capital and operations and maintenance (O&M) costs and account for site-specific limitations. We integrate our understanding of environmental regulations with our extensive knowledge of plant design and operation to develop cost-effective compliance plans for both individual plants and entire fleets. Our compliance planning experience includes evaluating existing, proposed, and anticipated regulations for their impact on the energy and industrial space.
Emission Reduction
We provide comprehensive solutions to help clients reduce their emissions and meet regulatory requirements. We have a proven track record,…
We provide comprehensive solutions to help clients reduce their emissions and meet regulatory requirements. We have a proven track record, dating back to the initiation of the Clean Air Act, of successfully implementing emission reduction retrofit projects across various industries. We bring technical expertise, industry knowledge, and a commitment to sustainability to help our clients achieve their environmental goals while ensuring compliance with air and water quality regulations.
We lead the industry in emission reduction retrofit projects for both air quality and water quality compliance. Our chemical engineering staff has the process expertise to choose the right technology for compliance and ensure it is designed to achieve emission targets while minimizing capital and operations and maintenance (O&M) costs.
We have extensive experience and knowledge in evaluating, specifying, and retrofitting air quality and water quality technologies, including:
- Acid gas emission reduction technologies (flue gas desulfurization [FGD] and dry sorbent injection).
- NOx reduction technologies (selective catalytic reduction and selective non-catalytic reduction).
- Particulate matter reduction technologies (electrostatic precipitators, fabric filter, baghouse).
- Mercury reduction technologies (activated carbon injection, fuel additives, FGD additives).
- Carbon dioxide reduction technologies (post-combustion, pre-combustion, and utilization).
- Makeup water treatment technologies (reverse osmosis, demineralization, and desalination).
- Raw water treatment technologies (clarification and filtration).
- Wastewater treatment technologies (physical/chemical and biological systems).
- Zero-liquid discharge technologies (byproduct fixation and stabilization, spray dryer evaporators, and evaporation and crystallization).
Our experience retrofitting environmental technologies gives us a unique perspective and thorough understanding of these projects from conceptual design through compliance testing.
Permitting
We have a dedicated team of permitting specialists with the expertise needed to support procuring permits and approvals necessary to…
We have a dedicated team of permitting specialists with the expertise needed to support procuring permits and approvals necessary to site, construct, and operate power and industrial facilities, substations, and electric transmission lines. We have experience across the U.S. in a wide range of jurisdictions, and we understand the technical requirements and level of detail needed to support permit applications submitted to local, state, federal, and international environmental regulatory bodies.
In addition to our engineering capabilities, we provide comprehensive environmental permitting and licensing services for power generating facilities, transmission lines, substations, and other power-related projects. On behalf of our clients, we have prepared permit applications for and successfully obtained the key types of permits and approvals necessary to site, construct, and operate power-related facilities. Our services include:
- Major source air construction permits for new facilities.
- Permits or permit modifications for coal-to-natural gas conversion projects.
- Operating permit modifications for system modifications or additions.
- Wastewater treatment and discharge permits.
- Local zoning approvals.
- Building permits.
- Site development permits for earthwork, grading, and storm water management.
- Railroad utility crossing and encroachment permitting.
For new projects or major modifications, we assign a dedicated permit specialist to the project team, eliminating the information exchanges and possible misunderstandings that occur between engineering companies and environmental consulting firms. In addition, our technical knowledge and experience helps us establish permit limits that include realistic margins that account for variations in operation, including startup, shutdown, and malfunctions.
Water Resources and Coastal Engineering
Our water resources experts help our clients across industries find optimal solutions to challenging and complex water related projects that…
Our water resources experts help our clients across industries find optimal solutions to challenging and complex water related projects that include risk assessments, regulatory compliance, and site evaluations. We work on stand-alone projects or join experts from across our company to offer a full scope of services, from planning detailed engineering to plant operation. Our services include:
- Flood hazard evaluation, including modeling and deterministic and probabilistic risk assessment, evaluation of plant-specific flood protection mitigation measures, and external hydrodynamic force evaluation on safety-related structures.
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) license application, including hydrologic safety analysis for early site permitting and combined license applications; studies and evaluations for probable maximum precipitation, probable maximum flood, probable maximum hurricane, probable maximum storm surge, and local intense precipitation (LIP); theoretical and potential dam failures; ice-induced flood; channel migration and diversion; and cooling system impacts, including intake and discharge systems.
- Power plant siting, including hydrologic site characterization, cooling water canals and reservoirs, evaluation of intake and outfall location and design, channel geomorphology, water availability, and low water impact.
- Coastal engineering, wave modeling, shoreline protection, breakwater design, hydraulic evaluation of coastal structures, sediment transport, and thermal modeling.
- Environmental compliance: CWA 316(a), 316(b), and NEPA Section 102(2).
We are equipped with state-of-the-art software appropriate for specialized hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, including two-dimensional flood risk determination (FLO‑2D, RMA, HEC‑RAS 2D); multidimensional hydrodynamic modeling (ADCIRC, RMA); near-shore spectral wave modeling (CGWAVE, SWAN, STWAVE); multidimensional thermal plume dispersion modeling; water quality and sediment transport; water hammer analysis; and watershed modeling (HEC‑HMS).
Geotechnical Services
Our extensive geotechnical resources and experience help reduce the risk of change orders and schedule delays through high quality site…
Our extensive geotechnical resources and experience help reduce the risk of change orders and schedule delays through high quality site investigations and geotechnical designs performed early in project development. Our geotechnical engineers seamlessly integrate into our project teams to perform complex studies and investigations and design geotechnical systems, structures, and foundations.
Our accomplished and qualified team of geotechnical engineers provide expertise and design input for civil and structural engineering designs across all industries that we serve. Our geotechnical areas of design expertise include:
- Subsurface investigations.
- Evaluation of soil properties for use in foundation design and site development design, including earthwork mass grading and water retention ponds.
- Ground improvement design using deep-soil mixing, vibro-compaction, stone columns, geo-piers, dynamic compaction, and slurry walls.
- Shallow foundation and deep foundation design support, including caissons, auger-cast grout piles, driven pipe piles, H‑piles, micropiles, rock anchors, timber piles, and precast piles.
- Liquefaction potential evaluation and design of mitigation measures.
- Slope stability analysis and earth retention and retaining wall design.
- Lake and pond examinations.
- Coal combustion residual impoundment and landfill inspections, compliance evaluation and reporting, and detailed engineering for closures, expansions, and new units.
- Earthwork and fieldwork consultation and construction surveillance.
Siting and Transmission Routing
We approach site selection studies by integrating engineering, regulatory, biological, ecological, and economic disciplines to ensure plant sites worthy of…
We approach site selection studies by integrating engineering, regulatory, biological, ecological, and economic disciplines to ensure plant sites worthy of consideration are optimized and sites failing to meet basic siting criteria are eliminated from consideration.
Site selection is a critical step in developing both power plant and transmission line projects. A good site or route can significantly decrease costs, increase public acceptance, and facilitate regulatory approval. Several factors affect the suitability of a site – water availability, topography, air quality, transportation access, land use, geotechnical characteristics, environmental sensitivity, public opinion, and local political considerations. Proper evaluating these factors demands the integration of many professional disciplines during the site selection process.
To conduct site selection studies, we assemble a team of professionals from the various disciplines necessary to evaluate potential power plant sites or transmission line routes. Just as our environmental specialists understand the engineering requirements of a power plant site, substation, or transmission line route, our engineers recognize the importance of a design that accommodates environmental and licensing constraints. Our ability to efficiently identify the best sites has evolved from the decades that our project teams have spent cooperatively balancing various siting constraints. Our site selection approach also documents the siting process for input to environmental impact assessments and other reports that may be required by government agencies, international organizations, or lending institutions.
Environmental Compliance Audits
Our environmental specialists collaborate with our engineers to make sure design work uses criteria that recognize all relevant environmental requirements….
Our environmental specialists collaborate with our engineers to make sure design work uses criteria that recognize all relevant environmental requirements. All work meets air emission limits, wastewater effluent limits, hazardous or toxic substance controls, solid waste disposal standards, noise criteria, social guidelines, and health and safety codes. Our team members responsible for environmental compliance routinely review the specifications for environmental-related equipment.
We perform due diligence reviews and environmental compliance audits for existing and proposed energy and industrial projects. Our typical role in a due diligence study includes reviewing applicable regulations and permit conditions, evaluating the facility’s compliance with current requirements, identifying potential future regulatory requirements and compliance timelines, developing compliance options and costs, and assessing the facility’s environmental compliance risks and liabilities. We perform Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs), and we design and interpret Phase II ESAs. Our staff includes personnel trained in ISO 14000 auditing methods. Our due diligence experts assist with every stage of a project’s lifecycle, including site selection; permitting and licensing; regulatory compliance; repowering efforts; and site closure. Our tasks include red-flag reviews, gap analysis, desktop compliance reviews, regulatory requirement reviews, and demolition studies.
NEPA Services
We perform full environmental impact assessments for fossil-fueled, nuclear power plants, and renewable energy resources such as hydroelectric, solar, and…
We perform full environmental impact assessments for fossil-fueled, nuclear power plants, and renewable energy resources such as hydroelectric, solar, and wind projects. In addition to the power plant proper, we have the capability and experience to provide environmental impact assessments (EIAs) for the natural gas pipelines and electric transmission lines that support power plant facilities as well. We have prepared environmental assessments for new projects and provided evaluations of the impacts from plant modifications and upgrade projects. Our assessments are tailored to the needs of the client and the site. Services include preparing documentation to meet the appropriate regulatory format, whether the report follows NEPA requirements, the requirements of an international lending institution, or state-specific requirements.
All power projects involve interactions with air, water, and land resources; therefore, we have experience addressing these interactions on myriad power projects. As part of our environmental assessment services, we have performed a number of specialized impact studies needed to support our clients’ specific needs. Specialized studies have covered a wide range of topics, such as climatology; ambient air quality impact modeling; cooling tower drift calculations and icing; cooling water intake impingement and entrainment; wastewater discharge; radiation exposure pathway evaluations; demographic and land use surveys and projections; and land use, forests, soils, and wetlands impact assessments. We also identify available alternatives and propose methods of mitigating potential impacts to air, water, and land resources. Our experience identifying expected impacts and proposing methods of mitigating those impacts is key to our environmental impact assessment services.
Additional Services
- Environmental laws and regulations reviews.
- Environmental impact assessments.
- NEPA compliance.
- Air quality and ambient air quality impact modeling.
- Water resources.
- Ecology.
- Cultural resources.
- Socioeconomic impacts.
- Geology, soils, and sediments.
- Aesthetics.
- Project management office (PMO).
