Case Study: Kansas City Power & Light rebuilds Hawthorn Unit 5 to 550 MW with Babcock & Wilcox

Kansas City Power & Light rebuilds Hawthorn Unit 5 to 550 MW in 22 months with Babcock & Wilcox

Kansas City Power & Light faced a significant challenge when an explosion destroyed the boiler at its Hawthorn Unit 5 power plant. The utility needed to replace the entire boiler island on an accelerated schedule to restore generating capacity. They engaged Babcock & Wilcox to design, supply, and construct a complete replacement solution.

Babcock & Wilcox delivered a full turnkey solution, including a new 550 MW pulverized coal boiler and comprehensive environmental controls like an SCR, dry FGD, and a fabric filter. Working on a compressed timeline, Babcock & Wilcox successfully commissioned the new unit just 22 months after the project began. The rebuild not only restored operations but also uprated the plant's capacity from 476 MW to 550 MW, achieving every major milestone despite the constraints of the existing site.

Kansas City Power & Light