Power Plant Services Relocation

GPA was engaged by Nyrstar to provide multidisciplinary engineering, construction support and commissioning services for the Power Plant Demolition and Product Recycling Facility Project at Nyrstar’s Port Pirie site.

The project involved repurposing the existing power plant site to construct a new Product Recycling Facility designed to reduce lead in air emissions while maintaining uninterrupted operation of critical site wide services. Delivery was undertaken in three phases: relocation of existing services, demolition of the power plant, and construction of the new facility.

The existing power plant housed essential infrastructure including compressed air, medium pressure steam and condensate systems, diesel and natural gas services, seawater cooling water systems, electrical distribution equipment and backup generation. Relocating these services without disrupting site operations presented a significant brownfield engineering challenge.

GPA identified and documented all services within the project area before developing staged relocation strategies that allowed critical infrastructure to remain operational throughout construction. This included design of a new site wide compressor station, modifications to existing various ring main services, and installation of new electrical, control and communications infrastructure. The work required close coordination across civil, structural, mechanical, process, electrical, instrumentation and control disciplines.

Following relocation of the utilities, GPA supported demolition of the existing power plant and delivery of the new Product Recycling Facility. GPA provided electrical, instrumentation and control system design for the facility, including a new switchroom, motor control centre and PLC supporting dust management and fume handling processes.

GPA’s scope included:

Site investigations and service identification.
Feasibility and relocation studies.
Concept development and cost estimation.
Detailed multidisciplinary design.
Vendor engagement and technical procurement support.
Construction support and project management services.
Commissioning and operational handover.

The project was successfully delivered within a complex brownfield operating environment while maintaining availability of critical site services. By enabling construction of the Product Recycling Facility, the project supported Nyrstar’s broader environmental improvement objectives and demonstrated GPA’s capability to deliver complex infrastructure relocation, demolition and new build projects through a flexible, multidisciplinary delivery model.