Fresno State celebrates completion of Central Utility Plant project with ribbon …

Fresno State and officials from the Bulldog Infrastructure Group, the project company owned by Meridiam, gathered on  campus Jan. 22 for a public ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the substantial completion of the project to replace and modernize the university’s Central Utility Plant.

The project is a 33-year public-private partnership (“P3”) between Meridiam, a leading infrastructure investment firm and sole owner of Bulldog Infrastructure Group (the project company), and Fresno State to design, build, finance and maintain Fresno State’s central utility infrastructure system, replacing the Central Utility Plant with 3,700 tons of chilled water capacity, 35,000 MBH (millions of British thermal units per hour) of hot water generation, 700 tons of heat recovery chillers and thermal energy storage. The project is funded through a 30-year green bond and equity provided by Meridiam.

This project was the first P3 for major utility infrastructure in the CSU system. This delivery method will ensure that after the 30-year service period, the major equipment is well maintained and will not be an ongoing deferred maintenance risk for the university.

The project consists of replacing and modernizing the campus’ Central Utility Plant, hot- and cold-water distribution network, and other energy conservation measures. The project installed a cost-effective mix of building efficiency and infrastructure improvements, including heating, ventilation and air conditioning controls, energy management systems with reliable HVAC delivery, and lighting and domestic hot water upgrades to reduce energy consumption and the university’s carbon footprint. 

The project guarantees energy savings of over 33% and a 73% reduction in natural gas usage. Going forward, the project will contribute to yearly reductions of 7,902 tons of carbon and 7 million gallons of water. During the project’s underground works, 246 trees were successfully protected. 

Other benefits to the community and campus include eight scholarship awards and 13 internships provided to date with two scholarship awards and one internship per year committed for the project duration. 

NORESCO, a leading provider of comprehensive energy solutions, acted as the lead contractor and will serve as the maintenance provider for the project over the next 30 years.