Contractor will provide preconstruction and construction services for multiyear boiler, chiller and Energy Management Center modernization
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (Oct. 19, 2026) — JE Dunn Construction has been selected by the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) to serve as construction manager at risk for the Terminal 1 Boiler and Chiller Replacement and Energy Management Center (EMC) Expansion project at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP). The MAC Board of Commissioners approved the selection on Sept. 22 following a competitive qualifications, proposal and interview process.
The multi-year project will modernize the central utility plant that provides heating and cooling to Terminal 1 and its parking structures. Originally brought online with Terminal 1 in the early 1960s, the EMC operates around the clock and has reached the end of its useful life. The work is expected to include replacement of heating and cooling systems, expansion of the EMC to accommodate new equipment and capacity, and improvements to adjacent areas in Concourse C.
“Our team has a long, proud history of building in this community and working at MSP,” said Jeff Callinan, Vice President and Minneapolis Office Leader for JE Dunn Construction. “We appreciate the trust the MAC has placed in JE Dunn to manage the modernization of this vital infrastructure. Our priority is careful planning, transparent communication and a phased execution that ensures the airport remains fully operational throughout construction.”
JE Dunn will join the MAC and the design team during preconstruction to provide constructability reviews, cost estimating, scheduling, phasing, logistics planning, risk management and long-lead equipment procurement support. The construction manager at risk delivery model brings the contractor into the design process early and establishes guaranteed maximum prices as project phases advance.
The project also will reconstruct and expand six gate areas along Concourse C and add or improve restrooms, concessions, airline spaces and MAC support areas. Planning and design of the multi-phased project is underway. Enabling work is anticipated to begin in 2027. Major construction is expected to start in 2028 with final completion targeted for 2032.
The project will support the MAC’s long-term sustainability objectives. The existing EMC serves more than 3 million square feet of conditioned space and accounts for approximately 75 percent of natural gas use at MSP. The planned improvements are intended to improve efficiency, sustainability and operational resilience while contributing to the MAC’s goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent and water use per passenger by 15 percent by 2030, with a long-term goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
JE Dunn’s local experience at MSP includes a recently completed 378,000-square-foot Terminal 1 renovation that modernized six concourses and 75 Delta passenger hold rooms while gates remained operational during most of the work. The company’s Minneapolis office has served the Minnesota market for more than 80 years and has completed more than $1.8 billion in projects over the past decade.
