Kiewit and Veolia Collaborate with Henry Ford Health to Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Maintain Innovative Turnkey Central Energy Hub

Henry Ford Health Energy Partners, a team including Kiewit and Veolia, is excited to announce its partnership with Henry Ford Health, one of the nation’s premier academic and integrated health systems, to develop and operate their new Central Energy Hub as part of the Destination: Grand project, a major and transformational expansion of its century-old hospital campus in Detroit.

The Central Energy Hub, a key component of the expansion, will provide heating and cooling via a hot and cold-water system that will tie into the new hospital facilities. The facility's design incorporates advanced technologies such as electrification, waste heat recovery and digital energy management. The plant supports Henry Ford Health's goal of achieving net zero by 2050.

The Henry Ford Health Energy Partners team, led by Kiewit Development Company with Kiewit Power Constructors Co. and with Veolia Energy Operating Services, LLC, providing the design-build and operations respectively, is proud to be part of this project. 

Sam Chai, president at Kiewit Development Company, said, “We are very excited to be partnering with Henry Ford Health to help them deliver on their overall hospital campus expansion plans to better serve the people of Detroit. With project financing that includes tax-exempt green bonds, our team worked tirelessly to provide a cost-effective solution for Henry Ford Health that also reflects the project’s important emphasis on sustainability.”

To facilitate the tax-exempt green bond issuance, Kiewit Development Company teamed up with Provident Resources Group Inc., a leading national 501(c)(3) organization and manager of projects in various sectors including healthcare, education, workforce housing, hospitality, governmental, and essential services.

Veolia, a global leader in environmental services, will provide operations management, preventative and lifecycle maintenance over a 30-year term. Patrick Schultz, CEO of Sustainable Industries and Buildings for Veolia North America, said, “As part of our GreenUp strategy, Veolia is excited to lead operations at the planned Central Energy Hub and help advance the sustainable development goals of Henry Ford Health through this innovative project in Detroit’s New Center neighborhood. By employing advanced digital monitoring, predictive and lifecycle maintenance, and engaging facility stakeholders in ongoing improvement projects, we plan to set the standard for sustainable healthcare operations.”

The Energy Partners team is committed to engaging and including minority and women-owned subcontractors as well as those that are based in Detroit. Construction on the Central Energy Hub is expected to begin in late 2024.

Henry Ford Health | https://www.henryford.com/