JE Dunn Lands $480M MSP Airport Central Plant Replacement

JE Dunn Lands $480M MSP Airport Central Plant Replacement

JE Dunn Construction was selected as construction manager-at-risk for the $480 million Terminal 1 boiler and chiller replacement at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, ENR reports. The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) made the selection.

Market Impact

The project replaces heating and cooling systems at the Energy Management Center (EMC), the central utility plant serving Terminal 1 and its parking structures. The plant came online with the terminal in the early 1960s, runs around the clock and has reached the end of its useful life, said JE Dunn’s Bill Igel, vice president and project director. The work also includes expanding the EMC for new equipment and capacity, plus improvements to adjacent areas of Concourse C. It is the latest piece of a $1.47 billion, multi-year modernization of the airport.

Space is the central constraint. Igel said the existing EMC is boxed in by terminal infrastructure, with too little room for the larger replacement boilers and chillers. Expanding the building will force the demolition and rebuild of six active gate hold areas on Concourse C, serving gates C6-C11, with larger footprints. Igel said the EMC and concourse work will be phased to keep gates operating, and the plant must deliver uninterrupted heating and cooling throughout. JE Dunn will join MAC and the design team during preconstruction for constructability reviews, estimating, scheduling, phasing, logistics, risk management and long-lead equipment procurement support. Under the CM-at-risk model, guaranteed maximum prices are set as project phases advance.

What It Means for Subcontractors

The project is in preconstruction. The source does not give bid dates, package breakdowns or prequalification requirements, so the points below are inferred from the stated scope.

• Mechanical, piping and controls: The scope centers on replacing boilers and chillers while the existing plant keeps serving the terminal. Expect tie-ins, temporary arrangements and cutover sequencing to drive the work. Call JE Dunn’s Minneapolis office, led by Jeff Callinan, this quarter. Ask for the bid-package schedule and prequalification requirements before pricing starts.
• Electrical: New equipment and added capacity in an expanded EMC point to switchgear and power work that must be sequenced around live systems. Ask JE Dunn during preconstruction how long-lead electrical equipment will be handled, since procurement support is part of its role.
• Civil, structural and demolition: Six gate hold areas on C6-C11 will be demolished and rebuilt larger, and the EMC building will be expanded. Those packages will likely be phased around gate availability. Ask how many gates can be offline at once, since that limit will set crew size and duration.
• Airside and secured-area work: All work happens alongside active operations. Get badging, escort and work-hour requirements in writing before you finalize a number.
• Other MSP work: Sheehy Construction Co. holds the primary contract on the $305 million Concourse G expansion, with completion expected in 2028. JE Dunn built the earlier Terminal 1 modernization for the $242 million Airport Modernization Program. Subs with experience on either job have a direct reference to bring to the Minneapolis office.

The long-lead equipment role matters. Suppliers and installers who can give JE Dunn early pricing and lead times on boilers and chillers are positioned to shape the guaranteed maximum price, not just respond to it.