Tampa General Hospital (TGH) executives flipped the switch at the newly constructed central energy plant at the recent ribbon-cutting. The plant is part of TGH’s $550 million master facility plan.
Located 33 feet above sea level, the 16,000 sq. ft., 4-story central energy plant holds four generators capable of providing 100 percent power to TGH’s main campus in the event of an outage due to major storms or other disruptions. With a price tag of $53 million, the leading-edge design boasts the ability to withstand the impact and potential flooding of a Category 5 hurricane.
“This additional generation capacity will take our campus from 50 percent emergency power to 100 percent redundant power,” said Dustin Pasteur, senior director of design and construction. “With the addition of the natural gas generators, this also means we will be able to run much of the plant continuously, well beyond the 96-hour regulatory requirement.” He added that the design looked toward conservation of natural resources; thus, three of the four generators run on natural gas.
In addition to the generators, three new boilers with built-in redundancy create steam and hot water for the purpose of sterilizing surgical instruments, cooking and hot water for handwashing and personal hygiene.
“Every aspect of our master facility plan is intended to create a health care network with the most advanced technology and cutting-edge care to serve the Greater Tampa Bay region and beyond. Our new central energy plant can accommodate our electrical power needs now and into the future,” said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital.
Announced in September 2021, TGH’s comprehensive master facility plan is the largest in the hospital’s history, designed to serve the region’s increasing health care needs.
Its master facility plan is an investment in our team, physicians, patients, in our academic health system and in our community,” noted Couris.
In addition to the newly opened central energy plant, a new ICU opened in June 2021, renovations of the hospital’s regional burn center, an off-site sterile processing facility, more than 100 new ICU rooms and other renovations throughout the hospital are just a taste of what the master facility plan encompasses.
Construction of these projects will run through 2026. As TGH updates and adds to the 25-acre campus, covering over 3 million square feet, it will also renovate the hospital’s main lobby, which will improve patient and visitor flow and efficiency.
For more information, go to www.tgh.org.
