north sydney olympic pool cogeneration plant project · the north sydney olympic pool (the pool) is...

Final Report

CEEP 1046

North Sydney Council

15 May 2014

North Sydney Olympic Pool Cogeneration Plant Project

North Sydney Council | Cogeneration Plant Project CEEP 1046 2

Contents Pages

Introduction ............................................................................................................... 3

1. Project Background ............................................................................................... 4

2. Project Description ................................................................................................ 5

3. Project Budget ...................................................................................................... 6

4. Project Timeline .................................................................................................... 7

Project Team ......................................................................................................... 7

Planning Phase ..................................................................................................... 7

Design Phase ........................................................................................................ 7

Tendering Process ................................................................................................ 7

Installation of the Cogeneration ............................................................................. 8

Testing and Commissioning .................................................................................. 9

Public Launch and Communication ..................................................................... 10

5. Project Challenges .............................................................................................. 18

6. Project Outcomes................................................................................................ 21

Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 23

Appendix .................................................................................................................. 1

Appendix .................................................................................................................. 2


Introduction

In June 2012 North Sydney Council was successful in its application for grant funding under

the Australian Government’s Community Energy Efficiency Program (CEEP) for the

installation of cogeneration plant and equipment at the iconic North Sydney Olympic Pool.

Cogeneration technology or cogen as it is usually called, is the process of using heat engine

to simultaneously generate both electricity and heat energy which are both essential for the

operation of the North Sydney Olympic Pool. The cogeneration plant is fuelled by natural gas

and is the first cogen system to be installed in a public saltwater pool in Sydney.

The cogen system will heat the outdoor pool at a pleasant 25 degrees all year round and

maintain the indoor pool at a steamy 29 degrees whilst significantly reducing CO2

greenhouse emissions and reducing Council’s electricity use and costs.

The project was successfully completed in January 2014. The system is currently operating

efficiently to date and performing well against the projections set at the commencement of

the project.

Together with the grant funding assistance of the Australian Government, North Sydney

Council is proud of the success of the project and the benefit the project will bring to the

users of the North Sydney Olympic Pool and the greater area of Sydney for many years to

come.


1. Project Background

The North Sydney Olympic Pool (the Pool) is a swimming and exercise complex located

adjacent to Sydney Harbour at Milsons Point in North Sydney between the Sydney Harbour

Bridge and Luna Park. The art deco-styled Olympic-sized outdoor pool was built on part of

the Dorman Long workshops site following the completion of the Harbour Bridge. The pool

opened on 4 April 1936 and hosted the swimming and diving events for the 1938 Empire

Games. In all, 86 world records have been set at the pool.

The Pool is operated and owned by the North Sydney Council, providing visitors use to a

heated 50 metre outdoor pool, a heated 25 metre indoor pool, a gymnasium, a sauna, a spa,

a sundeck and grandstands with the best views of the Sydney Harbour. The Pool has more

than 340,000 visitors per year averaging 949 persons a day.

The Pool accounted for approximately 35% of the total consumption of electricity for North

Sydney Council, making the Pool the single largest consumer of electricity across Council’s

property portfolio with an annual consumption of more than

1.6 million kWh of electricity.

In alignment with Council’s Community Strategic Plan the Pool was identified as the site to

develop a comprehensive case study to reduce the electricity consumption. In September

2010, a feasibility study was conducted by SLR Consulting and concluded that a

cogeneration system was the most effective way to reduce energy consumption and save

greenhouse gas emissions. The North Sydney Olympic Pool Cogeneration Project was born.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milsons_Point,_New_South_Wales

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Harbour_Bridge

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Harbour_Bridge

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_Park_Sydney

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_deco

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1938_British_Empire_Games

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1938_British_Empire_Games


2. Project Description

The co-generation technology system is the process of using a gas engine to simultaneously

generate electricity and heat required for the operation of the Pool.

It works by burning natural gas in an engine which drives a generator to produce electricity.

It also creates energy for heating the pool by capturing waste heat from the engine exhaust

that would otherwise be lost in the atmosphere.

The Project involved design and construction of a purpose built plant room to house the

cogeneration, supply and installation of the 100 kWh Tedom cogeneration plant into the

Plant Room located on the Mezzanine level of the Pool.

This way of generating electricity by a Cogen system has a much higher efficiency (85%)

compared with the energy we purchased from conventional power plant (only 30%) where

two thirds of the energy was lost through waste heat and the transmission and distribution of

electricity via the grid network.


3. Project Budget

The project was completed at a total cost of $697,259.00 with the balance of funding

provided by the Environmental Levy of North Sydney Council. Given the size of the project

and the challenges the project faced as details in the ‘Project Challenges’ section 5, the

project is considered to be within reasonable budget estimate and a success.

Table 1 – Project budgeted cost and actual costs

Project Costs

Budgeted Costs (Ex. GST)

Actual Costs (Ex. GST)

Architect and consultant advise on plant room design $ 12,000.00 $ 10,136.00

Project Management by approved sub-contractors $ 18,000.00 $ 34,950.00

Project administration $ 20,000.00 $ 28,885.00

Supply and installation of the cogeneration plant $ 330,000.00 $ 341,700.00

Plant Room Construction and Acoustic Protection suitable for the selected cogeneration plant $ 107,800.00 $ 131,912.00

Electrical and plumbing system upgrade $ 40,000.00 $ 35,000.00

Mechanical, electrical and hydraulic work for installation of cogeneration system $ 90,000.00 $ 95,000.00

Communication Plan $ 14,500.00 $ 11,399.00

Contingency $ 17,700.00 $ 8,277.00

Project Total Expenditure $ 650,000.00 $ 697,259.00

An audited financial statement has been prepared for the project and submitted for the

Department of Industry for the period from 3 December 2012 to 6 May 2014. The Financial

Statement is attached in Appendix 1.


4. Project Timeline

Project Team

A project team was established for the Cogeneration project comprising the following parties:

1. Project Manager: Albert Lo, Property Asset Manager, North Sydney Council

2. Project Architect: Richard Mann, Ecosystem Architecture

3. Cogen Consultant: Dr Neihad Al-Khalidy, SLR Consulting

4. Structural Engineer: Stephen Maher, Northrop Engineers

5. Heritage Consultant: Paul Rappoport, Rappoport Pty Ltd

6. BCA Consultant: Paul Ladogna, Vic Lilli & Partners

Planning Phase

September 2010 – July 2012

SLR Consulting engaged to conduct feasibility study in September 2010 and

completed by November 2010

Development Application (DA) lodged in April 2012 and approved in July 2012

Council Reporting and approval of Project Funding from Council’s Environmental

Levy (June 2011 to July 2012)

Funding application – Community Energy Efficiency Program (CEEP) approved by

Department of Industry in June 2012

Design Phase

August 2012 - February 2013

Detailed design carried out by SLR Consulting in August 2012 to September 2012

Construction Certificate (C.C) documentation prepared by Ecosystem Architecture in

October 2012 to November 2012

Construction Certificate approved by Vic Lilli & Partners in February 2013

Tendering Process

October 2012 – November 2012

Tenders were called for Supply and Installation of Cogeneration plant and equipment

– Contract was approved by Council and awarded to Urban Energy Australasia in

December 2012

Tenders were called for Construction of the Cogen Plant Room – Contract was

approved by Council and awarded to RPR Building Services Pty Ltd in December

2012


Installation of Cogeneration system and plant room

January 2013 – November 2013

Manufacturing of the Cogeneration System by Tedom in their factory in Czech

Republic (February 2013 to May 2013)

Shipment from Czech Republic to Sydney (May 2013 to June 2013)

Construction of the Plant Room (February 2013 to June 2013)

Delivery and cranage of Cogeneration Unit to site using a 100-tonne crane (27 June

2013)

Completion of Plant Room Construction and Installation of the Cogen system

(November 2013)


Testing and Commissioning

December 2013 – January 2014

Testing and commissioning was conducted during the period from December 2013 to

January 2014. Commissioning Reports and Testing Data are attached in Appendix 2 of this

Report.


Public Launch & Communication

April 2013 – January 2014

A structured communications plan was submitted to the Department of Industry as a way to

actively promote the Project to users of the North Sydney Olympic Pool Facility and the

community of North Sydney.

Table 1 – Communications Plan and Execution

Type of Communication Activity Description Activity Date Fig

Advertising Advertising in Mosman Daily on completion 23-Jan-14 1

Online Media NSC Twitter tweet promoting the new Video uploaded on YouTube Jan-14 2

Online Media NSC Facebook entry promoting the new Video uploaded on YouTube Jan-14 3

Online Media NSC Facebook entry promoting the Cogeneration Competition Jan-14 4

Print Materials North Sydney News ( Community Newsletter) Spring 2013 5

Print Materials Signage at North Sydney Olympic Pool 17-Jan-14 6

Print Materials Lap Times (Pool Newsletter) Summer 2014 7

Print Materials North Sydney News ( Community Newsletter) Autumn 2013 8

Events Australia Day Family Fun Day Launch Event 26-Jan-14 9

Media Release Media release on completion 22-Jan-14 10

Online Media NSC Facebook entry picture uploaded of Mayor Jilly Gibson making speech on Launch Day 26-Jan-14 11

Print Materials Article in Mosman Daily 6-Feb-14 12

Print Materials Article in North Shore Living 1-Mar-14 13

Online Media YouTube video - Cogeneration Unit - North Sydney Olympic Pool 1-Feb-14 N/A


Fig 1 - Mosman Daily Advertisement

Thursday 23 January 2014

Fig 2 - North Sydney Council Twitter entry promoting

the new Video Clip uploaded on to YouTube


Fig 3 – North Sydney Council Facebook Page link to YouTube clip

of North Sydney Olympic Pool Cogeneration Project

Fig 4 – North Sydney Council Facebook Page entry – Showing a Photograph of Mayor Jilly

Gibson taking out the winning raffle for the Cogeneration Competition


Fig 5 – North Sydney News Article – Spring 2013 Edition

Fig 6 – Cogen Signage at the North Sydney Olympic Pool


Fig 7 – North Sydney Olympic Pool Lap Times Article – Summer 2014 Edition

Fig 8 – North Sydney News Article – Autumn 2013 Edition


Fig 9 – Official Launch Day of the North Sydney Olympic Pool

Cogeneration System – Sunday 26 January 2014

Fig 10 – Media Release by NSC on completion – Wednesday 22 January 2014


Fig 11 – Facebook page upload of Picture on Launch day (Mayor Jilly Gibson making a

speech) – Sunday 26 January 2014

Fig 12 – Mosman Daily Article – Thursday 6 February 2014


Fig 13 - North Shore Living Article – March 2014


5. Project Challenges

The Project was well planned and executed by the Project Teams and appointed

Contractors with various issues taken into consideration in great details. There were a few

challenges of the Project. These include:

5.1 Suitable site for the Co-gen and the Plant Room

The first challenge is to find the most suitable location to house the cogen system

considered the heritage nature of the site. It was important to find a location for the plant

room which would not negatively impact on the heritage significance and aesthetic feature of

the Pool Complex. The Mezzanine Level of the Pool which was previously unused for public

access was finally chosen to be the best location for the Cogen plant.

5.2 Construction of the Plant Room

The construction of the plant room to take the cogeneration unit started at the end of

February 2013. This work involved the installation of new supporting steel beam structures

which have been carefully designed and pre-fabricated to suspend the entire dead and live

loads of the cogen equipment and the plant room from below the roadway concrete slab.

This approach achieved a solution that does not impose any new loading onto the heritage

fabric and one which will minimise the long term maintenance requirements for the

installation.


5.3 Plant Room requirements

The other challenge for the plant room construction is on the architectural envelope of the

plant room which has its own set of special criteria including sound insulation performance,

services penetrations, vibration attenuation, ventilation, long term maintenance minimisation

and robust performance for long building life in a very corrosive saltwater environment being

next to the Sydney Harbour. The project Architect has designed the plant room with all the

above important criteria in mind.


5.4 Installation of the Cogen and Equipment

The cogen unit was manufactured in the Třebíč factory by Tedom in the Czech Republic and

shipped to Sydney in mid 2013. Again the delivery of the unit to site was a challenging task

and it has taken some time for the Contractor Urban Energy to formulate the crane lift details

as it is a very difficult task to move the unit into the new plant room location situated at the

mezzanine level of the Pool. The Cogen unit was finally craned in to site on 27 June 2013

using a 100-tonne crane.


6. Project Outcomes

The following objectives were identified for the Project, all of which have been achieved and

will continue to be monitored by North Sydney Council.

6.1 Improving energy efficiency through reduced energy costs, energy consumption

and greenhouse CO2 emissions

The installation of the Cogeneration Plant at the North Sydney Pool is anticipated to reduce

energy costs by more than $58,000 per annum with 450,000 kWh of energy generated on

site instead of purchasing from the grid. Greenhouse gas CO2 emissions are expected to be

reduced by 367 tonnes per year.

6.2 Increasing knowledge of the Cogeneration System as a way to raise awareness of

energy efficiency and creating a sustainable facility for North Sydney and the greater

Sydney

Extensive communication planning from the commencement of the Project allowed for

proper and due exposure of the Cogeneration Project. As described in the Public Launch

and Communication section of the Report, various communication mediums were used to

promote the Cogen and its benefits.

The official launch day on 26th January 2014 was a major success with the public in

attendance and Mayor Jilly Gibson, Councillors, Divisional Directors, the Project Team and

Representatives of the Community. A video was produced from the day which was

subsequently uploaded onto YouTube and also produced for distribution for community

training. This will continue to be used for future reference on energy efficiency projects for

North Sydney Council and North Sydney Olympic Pool.

Educational sign for the Cogeneration System has been displayed at the Pool Complex to

demonstrate and show how the Cogeneration System works.

The Cogeneration System was also interfaced with the Pool Building Management System

(BMS). Live data are extracted from the Cogen System and displayed on a large LCD

screen at the entry area of the NS Olympic Pool.

The following key information from four rotating screens will be shown on the LCD display:

Total kWh Electricity generated to date & Total kWh today in kWh

Total heat generated to date in GJ

Total CO2 saved to date in tonnes

Current power output in kW


6.3 Reduced operational costs for the North Sydney Olympic Pool in the long term

Currently there are two heat pumps installed for the outdoor pool to provide the heating

requirements. With the installation of the Cogeneration System providing additional heat

energy, only one heat pump is now required to operate.

Moreover, these two heat pumps are due for replacement in 2015 as they have almost

reached the end of their useful life cycle. With the Cogen System in place, only one heat

pump is required to be replaced in 2015 that will save substantially both the capital and

operational funding required at the Pool.


Conclusion

The North Sydney Olympic Pool Cogeneration Project has been a unique and significant

project for the North Sydney Council with many years for the project to come to fruition.

From the conceptual stage of just an idea, investigating its viability through the feasibility

study conducted by SLR Consulting, securing funding through the Commonwealth’s

Department of Industry and approvals from Council, detailed design, Plant specifications and

engineering and reporting to all stakeholders throughout the Project, it has been a

successfully managed Project from all parties working together effectively to deliver great

outcomes for the Pool users and the greater Sydney Community.

The Cogeneration System has been in operation since January 2014 showing all positive

and projected savings. It is exciting to see the results of the Cogen at the 12 months mark to

properly assess the performance and savings on energy costs, consumption and emissions.

Up to 14 May 2014 the system so far has generated 161,143 kWh of electricity and 812 GJ

of heat energy. It is expected the system will generate more in the cooler seasons as it will

be running at its full capacity all day.

It is hoped that the success of the North Sydney Olympic Pool Cogeneration Project will be

used as a case study or prototype for other Council projects and Facility owners alike.

north sydney olympic pool cogeneration plant project · the north sydney olympic pool (the pool) is...

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