ABMB cuts ribbon on new headquarters

ABMB Engineers recently held a ribbon cutting and grand opening at its new headquarters in downtown Baton Rouge.

Working closely with architect Robert Coleman and Partners, the Louisiana State Historic Preservation Office, the Downtown Development District and Plan Baton Rouge, ABMB sought to maintain the circa 1888 building's historic elements.

ABMB shielded the handmade exposed bricks, original wood floors and wrought iron columns as it reinforced the structural integrity of the building, installed computer networks, ran new electrical wiring and installed plumbing.

"ABMB wants our projects to have the same enduring quality that we have in this building," said Principal Mike McGaugh.

The new location is just steps away from clients such as the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, the City of Baton Rouge's Department of Public Works and various state agencies.

ABMB Engineers provides civil/site design, traffic engineering, structural design, sewage and water, bridge design and inspection, drainage, highway/roadway design and surveying to a variety of municipal, state, federal and commercial clients.

AEP, Dow complete Plaquemine cogeneration facility

Processes at Dow's Plaquemine facility have become more efficient with the recent start up of the Plaquemine cogeneration facility.

Located on the Dow site and built, owned and maintained by American Electric Power (AEP), the cogeneration facility efficiently provides steam energy for Dow's production processes and at the same time generates electricity to meet some of the plant's electrical needs.

Additionally, the $525 million facility delivers environmental benefits and increased energy efficiency at a critical time in which U. S. chemical manufacturers continue to battle high natural gas prices due to increased demand and limited supply.

AEP and Dow recently commemorated construction completion and start up of the 900-MW natural gas-fired cogeneration facility.

Cogeneration is the simultaneous production of electricity and another form of useful energy (such as heat or steam) from the same fuel source. Cogeneration systems are highly efficient because they capture and use energy that otherwise would be wasted.

In addition, the efficiency of producing electricity and steam together enables a reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, versus conventional utility power and steam generation.

"Building a power plant within the confines of an existing chemical production facility presented many challenges to the creative abilities of AEP engineers and construction workers," said Robert P. Powers, AEP executive vice president. "In the end, this project resulted in the operation of a plant that provides numerous efficiencies and benefits for both AEP and Dow."

Dow has generated its own power in Plaquemine since 1957 and is one of the largest cogenerators and petrochemical companies in the state, with almost 20 billion pounds of annual production in Louisiana.

This new 900-MW project, known as "Power 3" at Dow, joins Power 1 (220 MW) and Power 2 (320 MW) at the Plaquemine site.

Power 3 is owned and maintained by AEP, while Dow is responsible for daily operations. Performance Contractors Inc. of Baton Rouge constructed the plant, beginning in 2001 on an eight-acre site surrounded by current Dow facilities. More than 2.3 million work hours were logged during the construction project.

Dow's Louisiana Operations in Plaquemine cover 1,500 acres and is operated by 3,000 employees and contract personnel.

NuTemp/Longville open Geismar office

NuTemp/Longville recently opened a location in Geismar to meet the needs of clients for speed of delivery and superior service.

The new office, at 6282 Highway 73, gives sales and service personnel better access to one of NuTemp's busiest regions.

The new location is 15,000 sq. ft. and has the capabilities of manufacturing and testing NuTemp's largest industrial equipment. The Geismar depot covers customers in Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Southern Alabama and Western Florida.

With more than 50 years of combined in-house experience, the sales and service staff at the Louisiana depot will be responsible for serving the needs of NuTemp's customers.

NuTemp specializes in the rental of chillers, cooling towers, air handlers, air conditioners, spot coolers, dehumidifiers, heaters, boilers, generators and diesel-driven pumps through nine national and more than 50 worldwide locations.

La. Tech plans biomedical engineering facility

Plans are finished for a new biomedical engineering building at Louisiana Tech University.

The announcement was made during a celebration in honor of President Dan Reneau, who helped found the university's biomedical engineering program in 1972.

The new building, one of the few approved in the recent capital outlay budget, has received approval at $6.3 million. About 22,000 sq. ft. were added to original plans, bringing the total to 52,000 sq. ft. and the price tag to $8.2 million. Grants and gifts are funding the addition.

The new building will sit next to the Institute for Micromanufacturing on the main campus.

Construction is expected to begin during the next academic year.