J. Kokolakis Wins $27 Million Watervliet Arsenal Emergency Power Contract

J. Kokolakis Contracting Inc. of Tarpon Springs, Florida, received a $26.8 million firm-fixed-price contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to construct a generator connection terminal and supporting facilities at Watervliet Arsenal in New York. The work will provide a way to connect emergency generation to the arsenal’s electrical distribution network during a prolonged loss of power from its main substation. Completion is expected by Sept. 15, 2029.

Electrical Switching Station Details

Kokolakis will construct electrical switching and connection infrastructure intended to feed 4 megawatts of emergency power into Watervliet’s existing distribution network. A project notice describes a generation facility capable of producing 8 megawatts and work to expand switching capacity to distribute that power across the installation during an emergency.

The construction scope includes procuring and installing generators, switchgear, transfer switches, cables, grounding equipment, manholes and underground duct banks. Kokolakis will also build the utility connections needed to supply fuel to the generators and connect the switching station to the existing electrical network. Associated work includes site improvements, testing and commissioning.

The project calls for controls that can automatically start generation and switch electrical distribution. The project notice describes planned integration with Watervliet’s existing Johnson Controls Metasys building automation system so operators can monitor equipment and issue switching commands through the installation’s established control network.

Watervliet Arsenal Modernization Background

Watervliet is an Army-owned cannon and mortar manufacturing site. The Army’s FY2026 military-construction project data identified the switching station as a way to meet a 14-day power-resilience requirement and reduce the risk that a prolonged outage would halt manufacturing. That planning document listed a $29 million project cost, distinct from the awarded contract value.

The electrical project comes amid broader changes to the arsenal. In April 2026, the Army reported completion of a mortar factory that separates mortar manufacturing from cannon production, as well as the start of a new fire station. The Army described those facilities as part of a modernization initiative announced in 2023 with more than $1.7 billion in planned investment.

Award and Contractor Background

Three bids were received for the switching-station contract. Kokolakis has other Corps of Engineers construction work at Watervliet, including a paint-booth and drying-oven replacement with a potential value of $25.2 million and a radial-forge infrastructure project with a potential value of $24.1 million. The latter includes a new electrical substation and utility upgrades to support manufacturing equipment.

Earlier electrical work at the arsenal included a $4.2 million contract awarded to Oddo Construction Services in 2014 to upgrade Watervliet’s main power-distribution substation, according to an Army account of that project. The new award addresses emergency generation and switching connections for the installation’s distribution system.

This award was disclosed by the DoW in its daily press release. Additional contract details will be available on HigherGov in approximately 90 days under W912DS26CA033 after the contract is formally disclosed by the government.