Jackson Generation is a 1,200-megawatt gas-fired power plant located in Will County, Illinois that began commercial operation on May 4, 2022. Jackson Generation uses state-of-the-art combined-cycle gas turbine technology to provide the highest efficiency while producing the lowest greenhouse gas emissions of any natural gas-fired power plant in the United States. It supplies electricity to the Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland Interconnection (PJM), which is a regional transmission organization with the highest reliability and electricity demand in the United States, coordinating the movement of wholesale electricity in 13 states and the District of Columbia.

The project was complex for the galvanizer from the beginning. The steel arrived at the galvanizing plant from four different steel fabrication shops over a 15-month period. The loads needed to be hot-dip galvanized and stored in accordance with the ever changing job site demands in terms of schedule and sequence. Often times, loads needed to be galvanized and repackaged for outbound shipment within 24 hours. The galvanizer also took on the responsibly of assembling the splice plates and connection angles with temporary bolts, prior to shipment to the site. This saves the erector and EPC firm hundreds of thousands of dollars in field labor tracking down loose parts on site.

The success of the project has created a new level of trust among all of those on the steel construction team during and after completion. The new facility which will produce enough energy to power 1.2 million homes and have the ability to generate 50% more power than current peaking facilities. With the reliable hot-dip galvanized steel backbone, Jackson Generation will reduce the area’s dependence on coal-fired power securing a cleaner, more reliable energy future.