GRU J.R. Kelly Generating Station Drift Eliminator Replacement Project

The City of Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) is soliciting proposals for the replacement of drift eliminators at the J.R. Kelly Generating Station located at 515 SE 5th Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32601. The Kelly facility operates a four-cell mechanical draft crossflow cooling tower (600 Series Model, originally constructed by SPX Marley) that was converted from wood to fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP) in 2008. The project addresses excessive drift issues caused by improper installation of drift eliminators in multiple cooling tower cells. The scope of work involves the replacement and proper installation of new drift eliminators to resolve the drift problems and restore optimal cooling tower performance.

The project is scheduled during a planned plant outage in January 2024. The J.R. Kelly Generating Station currently has a total generation capacity of 120 MW, including the 85-MW natural gas-fired Combined Cycle Unit 1 (CC1) installed in 2001 and the Unit 8 Turbine/Generator added in 2020. The facility has been in operation since 1912 under City of Gainesville ownership.

Key dates for this solicitation include: Pre-Proposal Meeting on November 16, 2023 at 3:00 PM; Questions and Answers deadline on November 17, 2023 at 7:00 PM; and Proposal submission deadline on December 4, 2023 at 7:00 PM. All proposals must be submitted in accordance with GRU procurement requirements, including technical specifications, pricing proposals, and compliance with terms and conditions outlined in the solicitation documents.