The MRMC Thermal plant provides steam and chilled water that heat and cool the hospitals and other buildings on the academic medical campus.
It provides service to a total of 7 million sq. ft. of interior building space. The specialized needs of the campus, which include adult and pediatric Level 1 trauma centers and biomedical research facilities, make it important for MRMC to be able to directly manage these services.
Thermal is in the final stages of completing a three-year plant and distribution system project to promote and improve:
- Redundancy: Construction of a second plant to provide continuous supply of critical service with two independent thermal sources and on-site alternate fuel backup
- Reliability: Investment in plant and distribution infrastructure to enhance uninterrupted, consistent thermal service
- Eco-Friendliness: Elimination of coal and conversion to natural gas, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 50 percent
- Growth: Creating capacity to accommodate future growth on the campus
- Transparency: Engaging member organizations in decision-making from the source to the user
- Control: Aligning clinical, economic and accreditation values in decision-making
- Costs Improving rates for steam and chilled water for nonprofit health care and medical education organizations
MRMC Thermal contracts with Ever-Green Energy, an independent provider, to operate and manage the plant.