Confidential Client
Southeast USA
Power & Energy
Overview
Nexus supported Florida Power & Light (FPL), the regulated utility subsidiary of NextEra Energy and one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, in an evaporator cooling system upgrade across nine combustion turbine units at the West County Energy Center (WCEC) in Palm Beach County, Florida. NextEra Energy is a leading North American energy company and the world’s largest generator of renewable energy from wind and solar, with FPL serving more than 5 million customer accounts across Florida.
As one of the largest and most advanced natural gas fired power plants in the country, WCEC plays a critical role in delivering reliable, efficient power to South Florida. Commissioned between 2009 and 2011, the facility consists of three high‑efficiency generating units with a combined capacity of roughly 3,700–4,200 MW, making it one of the largest gas-fired power plants in the United States.
To support this mission, the facility required a more reliable and efficient approach to combustion turbine inlet cooling with a power plant evaporator upgrade. The project replaced manually operated systems with automated valving and controls to improve system reliability and maximize megawatt output during peak summer demand. The first unit established the basis of design, which is now being rolled out across the remaining units during planned outage windows.
Challenge
Compressed Schedule Driven by Outage Windows
The first unit required execution within a tightly constrained outage window, demanding accelerated engineering, procurement, and coordination with limited margin for error. Design decisions needed to be finalized quickly to support timely construction and commissioning, while maintaining quality and system performance.
System Replication Across Multiple Units
The project required development of a scalable solution that could be efficiently implemented across nine combustion turbine units. The team needed to establish a standardized design that could be replicated, while still accommodating existing field conditions and variations between units.
Constructability and Operational Access Constraints
Modifications to the existing power plant cooling system introduced challenges related to piping congestion, valve placement, and maintenance accessibility. Designs needed to balance minimized installation cost with safe and practical operator access for long-term operations and maintenance.
Material Availability and Procurement Constraints
Shortened supply chain timelines limited equipment options and required careful coordination of valve and material selection. The team needed to prioritize readily available components, including the use of existing plant spare parts, without compromising system reliability or performance.
Solution
Nexus delivered an integrated engineering approach focused on constructability, execution alignment, and repeatable design across multiple units.
The team leveraged 3D scanning and modeling to accurately capture existing conditions and develop precise piping and valve layouts within a constrained operating environment. This enabled rapid iteration of design solutions, minimized field uncertainty, and ensured that valve placement and routing supported both efficient
installation and long-term operator accessibility. The digital models also provided a platform for early input from plant operations, improving overall usability and reducing the need for field adjustments.
To support execution within a compressed outage schedule, Nexus established a highly collaborative planning process with FPL’s engineering and operations teams, as well as the outage contractor. Weekly coordination meetings and iterative design reviews ensured alignment between engineering decisions and field execution requirements, reducing risk during installation and commissioning.
Equipment selection and system design were closely aligned with procurement realities. The team prioritized the use of existing plant spare parts where feasible and specified control valves and materials that could be delivered within the shortened supply chain window. This approach maintained project momentum while ensuring power plant cooling system performance and reliability.
The first unit was intentionally developed as a prototype, establishing a clear basis of design for subsequent installations. This repeatable approach allows for efficient implementation across the remaining eight units, reducing engineering effort, improving consistency, and supporting predictable execution during future outage windows.
Results & Client Impact
The initial unit was successfully designed, installed, and commissioned within the required outage window, meeting the client’s objectives for improved system reliability and enhanced turbine performance. The automated cooling system upgrade increased the effectiveness of turbine inlet cooling, supporting higher megawatt production during peak demand conditions. The use of 3D modeling reduced construction risk and helped maintain control of total installed costs. With a proven design in place, FPL now has a clear and efficient path to implement the upgrade across the remaining units, ensuring consistent performance improvements across the facility.
Services Provided
- Mechanical and piping design
- 3D scanning and modeling
- Control valve specification and integration
- Construction coordination and support
- Outage planning and execution support
- Operations and maintenance considerations in design
Project Director
