Fluor teamed with Pangaea, a South African engineering company. The joint venture was responsible for project and construction management, project controls, safety, contracting and procurement, and people development. Engineering and commissioning functions were led by Eskom, supported by the joint venture team.
To keep the cost of power down at the “two-shifting” station, the amount of coal burned had to be reduced. Fluor introduced a low-NOX burner that could operate at a low load, burn low-grade coal, reduce NOX emissions, and still maintain a stable flame.
Fluor and Pangaea utilized a database tool to capture needed technical knowledge and behavior competencies, as well as their own experience with operating the equipment found in the plant. Fluor defined a spectrum of jobs at the plant, benchmarked the current and ideal profile for each, and identified development gaps that should be filled for efficient plant operation. An active training and development program greatly increased the project management skills of Eskom personnel, and the joint venture's “Capacity Building Programme” transferred the technical knowledge and the behavior competencies needed by Eskom personnel to run the plant.