CH2M HILL Wins 2006 BE Award.

American Electric Power - Mitchell & Mountaineer CPS Treatment Plants Named Top Project in "Plant: New Technology Adoption" Category

EXTON, Pa. -- CH2M HILL, a global leader in full-service engineering, construction, and operations, has won a 2006 BE Award for its American Electric Power - Mitchell & Mountaineer CPS Treatment Plants project in West Virginia. The award category was "Plant: New Technology Adoption."

The BE Awards of Excellence, which are judged by an independent panel of industry experts and presented at an evening ceremony during the annual BE Conference (www.be.org), honor the extraordinary work of Bentley users improving the world's infrastructure. These projects set benchmarks for their industries and showcase the imagination and technical mastery of the organizations that created them.

American Electric Power (AEP) is installing flue gas desulfurization systems to improve environmental performance at its Mitchell and Mountaineer coal-fired power plants. The new forced oxidation limestone scrubbers will reduce sulfur dioxide emissions by 95 percent. However, they also will produce a high total suspended solids and total dissolved solids purge stream that needs to be treated prior to discharge.

Working with AEP, CH2M HILL used Bentley tools to evaluate treatment options for the purge stream. It developed 3D models and engineering analysis models, and used various visualization techniques, including dynamic 3D PDFs, to convey options for design and construction. The options all met the potential effluent regulations and water quality criteria, and satisfied construction limitations caused by tight space in the existing plants.

The firm used Bentley's PlantSpace Piping 3D modeling tools to design the new system's piping requirements. As Gary Moss, CH2M HILL's EPC automation piping engineer, said, "Our clients and projects both benefit from our use of integrated, interoperable 3D modeling products such as PlantSpace Piping. To begin with, they provide us with design review tools, including 3D PDFs, that allow us to show clients the relationships among pumps, piping, and equipment. In addition, they offer coordination capabilities and multidiscipline communication that provide important efficiencies and other benefits prior to reaching the construction site."

The 3D visualization enabled by MicroStation provided CH2M HILL with an innovative way to satisfy AEP's concerns with space issues. For example, interactive, animated 3D PDFs provided visual proof that a crane and front-end loader could operate within the confines of certain project areas.

CH2M HILL's use of Bentley solutions also included the development of analytical models. Because the 3D models interoperate with Bentley's STAAD structural engineering software for analysis and design, the project team was able to produce the structural analysis results directly from the model. The results were then fed back into the 3D modeling tools - eliminating redesign and back-checking, saving design time, and improving coordination.

To expedite cost estimating, the team used Bentley Structural for material take-offs. For example, it was able to effectively calculate the coating for the structural steel members on the two plant sites by generating a structural report spreadsheet. The spreadsheet provided a total surface area of all steel members in the 3D models.

Summing up the firm's reasons for using Bentley software on this project, Mike Hayes, CH2M HILL automation delivery leader, said, "Bentley's toolset is central to our design delivery approach. The ability to use 3D PDFs directly from MicroStation was a distinct advantage on this project. To help us meet the project's tight schedule demands, both static and animated 3D PDFs and interactive design reviews were used strategically for status reviews and to demonstrate operational requirements."

For more information on CH2M HILL's winning project and all of the other 2006 BE Award projects, visit www.be.org/awards. For more information on the Bentley products used in this project, visit www.bentley.com/plant.

About CH2M HILL

Headquartered in Denver, employee-owned CH2M HILL is a global firm providing engineering, construction, operations, and related technical services to public and private clients. With more than $3.8 billion in revenue, CH2M HILL is an industry-leading program management, construction management for fee, and design firm, as ranked by Engineering-News Record in 2006. The firm's work is concentrated in the areas of transportation, water, energy, environment, communications, construction, and industrial facilities.

Recognized in 2006 as one of FORTUNE magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" and a "Most Admired Company," CH2M HILL has more than 18,000 employees in regional offices worldwide. For more information, visit www.ch2m.com.

About American Electric Power

American Electric Power (AEP) is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation's largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 36,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States. AEP also owns the nation's largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP, based in Columbus, Ohio, is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2006. For more information, visit www.aep.com.

About Bentley

Bentley Systems, Incorporated provides software for the lifecycle of the world's infrastructure. The company's comprehensive portfolio for the building, plant, civil, and geospatial verticals spans architecture, engineering, construction (AEC) and operations. With 2005 revenues of $336 million and more than 2000 colleagues around the world, Bentley is the leading provider of AEC software to the Engineering News-Record Top 500 Design Firms and major owner-operators and was named the world's No. 2 provider of GIS/geospatial software solutions in a recent Daratech research study.

To receive Bentley press releases as they are issued, visit www.bentley.com/bentleywire. For more information, visit www.bentley.com. To view a copy of Bentley's May 2006 Annual Report online, go to www.bentley.com/May2006annualreport.

Bentley, the "B" logo, BE, BE Awards of Excellence, MicroStation, PlantSpace Piping, Bentley Structural, and STAAD are either registered or unregistered trademarks or service marks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated or one of its direct or indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.