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Tender description :
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Tenders Are Invited for Cogeneration Plant New Electric Chiller (prequalification)
The Cogeneration Plant is an approximately 189,110 gross-square-foot facility that provides electricity, steam, and chilled water to the campus and the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (RRUMC). The plant operates based on a natural gas-fired cogeneration process and includes a mix of steam-driven, absorption, and electric chillers. As campus growth and peak cooling demand have increased, the existing chiller system is approaching its reliable operating limit, with limited capacity margin to accommodate peak conditions or unanticipated equipment outages. Additionally, portions of the steam-driven chiller fleet are aging and nearing the end of their service life, increasing the risk of reduced availability and operational flexibility. The proposed project is driven by the need to restore system reliability, maintain critical redundancy, and support continued campus expansion and mission-critical operations.
It also advances UCLA’s broader strategic transition to electrified heating and cooling systems, thereby reducing reliance on fossil-fuel-based infrastructure and associated greenhouse gas emissions, and supporting compliance with UC sustainability and decarbonization policy objectives. The project would install a new high-efficiency electric centrifugal chiller, along with an associated pumping system, cooling tower, and electrical infrastructure, within the existing Cogeneration Plant footprint. The design would leverage original plant provisions for future expansion, including available space, spare system tie-ins, and existing infrastructure capacity, minimizing modifications and construction risk.
The project would include installation of major mechanical and electrical equipment, system tie-ins, controls integration with the plant’s distributed control system, and commissioning to ensure reliable, efficient operation. The addition of the new chiller would require integration with the plant’s existing primary and secondary chilled water system and circulating water system, including the installation of new primary and secondary chilled water pumps, modifications to piping systems, and coordination with existing cooling tower operations. To support the additional heat rejection load, a new multi-cell cooling tower would be installed on an elevated structural steel platform above the current ammonia containment area, keeping all new cooling infrastructure within the cogeneration facility while avoiding interference with existing equipment.
The project would also include upgrades and integration within the plant’s electrical distribution system to serve the new equipment. The proposed configuration would use existing medium-voltage infrastructure, with a step-down transformer and variable-frequency drive provided with the new chiller to improve efficiency and reduce electrical footprint and cost. Additional electrical work would support new pumps, cooling tower fans, and control systems while maintaining system redundancy and operational flexibility. Existing steam-driven chiller equipment nearing the end of its service life would be gradually decommissioned as new electric chiller capacity is placed in service.
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