1,520-ton power block frame
Structural steel detailing for Allied Steel covered the 45,000-square-foot enclosure housing the generating equipment.
LocationEklutna, Alaska
Client and fabricatorAllied Steel
Structural steel1,520 tons
Building areaApproximately 45,000 square feet
Project overview
Structural steel supporting the backbone of MEA’s power generation.
The Eklutna Generation Station was developed by Matanuska Electric Association near Anchorage, Alaska. With a generating capacity of 171 megawatts, the facility plays a central role in supplying electricity to MEA’s service area.
At the heart of the station is a 45,000-square-foot power block building. Unlike a conventional commercial structure, it is a heavily engineered industrial enclosure designed around large generating equipment, significant operational loads and the demanding climate of southcentral Alaska.
Working for Allied Steel, our team provided structural steel detailing for approximately 1,520 tons of steel.
A specialized industrial enclosure built around power-generation equipment.
The power block was designed to enclose and support the machinery required for continuous energy generation while protecting it from Alaska’s severe weather.
Its structural system had to accommodate the operational requirements of ten Wärtsilä reciprocating engines, along with the equipment and access needed for their installation, inspection and maintenance.
The building functions as an integrated part of the generating process—not simply as an enclosure around it.
Project team and technical details
- Alternative name
- MEA Power Generation Turbine Building
- Owner
- Matanuska Electric Association
- Generating capacity
- 171 megawatts
- Project period
- 2012–2014
- Connection designer
- Burns & McDonnell
- Steel erector
- Swanson Steel Erectors
- Primary scope
- Structural steel detailing
- Principal equipment
- Ten Wärtsilä reciprocating engines
- Key structural feature
- Framing supporting heavy overhead cranes
Detailing scope
Principal equipment
Overhead crane-supporting steel
Steel members, elevations and connections were coordinated with cranes used to install and service major engine components.
Equipment and maintenance interfaces
The model accounted for machinery layout, operating clearances and access for installation, inspection and maintenance.
Shop and erection deliverables
Coordinated information communicated the industrial steel geometry and field-assembly requirements for the Alaska facility.
Model to field
Coordinating the MEA Power Generation Turbine Building model for fabrication and field use.
01 / Coordinated model
02 / Fabrication & fieldTechnical complexity
Precision where structural steel and operating equipment meet.
Heavy crane and equipment demands
The frame supported concentrated crane loads and large reciprocating equipment, with vibration and operating requirements influencing the steel package.
Machinery and steel alignment
Member positions, connection conditions and elevations had to remain consistent with the ten-engine equipment layout.
Access in a dense industrial environment
Steel needed coordination with crane operations, machinery clearances and the space required to install and maintain plant components.
Alaska fabrication and erection conditions
The large industrial package required clear construction information for a facility designed to protect critical equipment from southcentral Alaska’s demanding weather.
Our approach
Fabrication-ready detailing for a high-demand industrial structure.
Our team translated the engineering information into coordinated shop and erection deliverables for Allied Steel.
Particular attention was given to the areas where the building frame interacted with overhead cranes and major plant equipment. Maintaining accuracy at these interfaces was essential to supporting fabrication, field assembly and the long-term operational requirements of the facility.
The detailing workflow focused on constructability, dimensional control and clear communication of the heavy industrial steel package.
Coordinating steel around large-scale industrial systems.
The power block’s structural steel could not be detailed independently of the machinery and crane systems it supported.
Member locations, elevations and connection conditions had to remain consistent with the equipment layout and operational clearances. The detailing process also had to account for the access required to install, operate and maintain major plant components.
A coordinated structural model provided a reliable basis for developing fabrication and erection information across the 1,520-ton steel package.
Project result
A robust structural enclosure for dependable energy generation.
Completed between 2012 and 2014, the Eklutna Generation Station power block provides a durable operating environment for MEA’s generating equipment.
The 1,520-ton structure supports the heavy machinery, crane operations and maintenance activities required by the plant while protecting critical systems from Alaska’s demanding climate.