Construction roundup: Railbelt energy, hospitals and corrections top projects list.

• Position: BUILDING ALASKA SPECIAL SECTION

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With the primary construction season kicking off to full swing, a handful of projects around the state are indicative of continued growth in the industry across all construction sectors. For many, the jump in construction activity during summer months--designed to take advantage of good weather and ease of logistics--makes for a round-the-clock summer soundtrack of industrial noise. It's music to the ears of communities where construction jobs constitute a much-anticipated annual infusion to the local economy.

Along those lines, such communities will be glad to hear that projections of construction spending in Alaska for 2011 are up overall by 4 percent from last year--and 5 percent if not counting oil and gas. Both private- and public-sector construction will see gains this year, experts forecast, with utilities and hospitals among areas of positive focus for construction growth.

UTILITY PROJECTS BREAK GROUND

Chugach Electric Association and Municipal Light & Power (ML&P) broke ground this spring on the new Southcentral Power Project, located at Chugach's headquarters complex in Anchorage, represents a joint project to construct an efficient, combined-cycle 183 megawatt power plant. The $369 million cost will be shared 70/30 between Chugach and ML&P. Speakers at the event noted how collaborating on construction will save money for the ratepayers of both utilities. Also, the plant's advanced technology will use less natural gas than current generating units.

"I am pleased to see the city's utilities working together on such an important project," Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan announced at the March groundbreaking ceremony. "This new plant is a step in the right direction as we look to provide reliable service at a reasonable cost for Anchorage's electrical consumers. Citizens will reap the benefits of this new plant for many years to come, which is important as we continue planning for the city's energy future."

The plant will have three natural gas-fired turbine-generators and one steam turbine generator. The units will operate in combined-cycle mode, meaning the hot exhaust from the gas turbines will be captured and used to make steam for the steam turbine.

SPP will use only about three-fourths of the natural gas needed to make a kilowatt hour compared to the best units on the Chugach system today. That means Chugach and ML&P customers will save about $30 million in fuel costs annually once the plant is fully...