Infrastructure, Dock Improvements and Ship FF&E – Phase 1    

Serving as the “ocean-oriented campus” of Texas A&M University at College Station, the Galveston campus mission is to provide special-purpose education in marine and maritime studies and research and public service related to the general field of marine resources. Established in 1971, the campus on Pelican Island is more than 50 years old. While the above ground expansion -- in the form of new facilities -- has kept pace with campus growth, the campus underground utility lines and utility generation capacity have not kept up as well both in size and maintenance. As the campus prepares for the next 50 years, the campus proposes to complete utility and infrastructure projects to properly support the educational and research mission of the institution. 

The completion of a new Supplemental Utility Plant (SUP) is programmed to provide the campus, in partnership with the existing central utility plant, an additional 1,300-ton cooling capacity and 2,500 mbh heating capacity. This additional thermal generation will supply the adequate chilled water for the new NSMV (training ship) and chilled/heating hot water for an additional future academic building. The SUP will be designed to work with the existing plant and will be expandable—up to 3,900-ton cooling capacity and 14,000 mbh heating capacity—through the installation of additional chillers and boilers as the campus grows. In addition to the Central Utility Plant, the campus experiences frequent issues with adequate natural gas pressure. This project includes funding to up-size natural gas piping on campus to properly supply facilities.