It’s all systems go for Bath Iron Works’ plan to upgrade its Hardings Facility.

The application for a $4.5 million project was approved unanimously by the Brunswick Planning Board Tuesday.

BIW will replace its steel preservation line, which is used to blast and prepare steel for the shipyard. Some of the equipment in the line is more than 45 years old, and the company says it “remains one of the least reliable processes for Bath Iron Works.”

The shipbuilder is planning to construct a new 19,870-squarefoot building at the Brunswick facility to replace the current steel preservation line. Most of the square footage of the new structure is actually canopy over conveyor that will carry steel in and out of the building. The building itself is about 8,000 square feet and 35-feet tall.

Because the steel preservation line is so vital to the company’s workflow, the old line will stay in production until the new building is complete, with equipment installed and operational. At that point, production will switch over to the new line and and the old building will be demolished.

The new building and equipment is expected to be ready at some point in 2019. Construction should take about a year, Facilities Engineer Christopher Main told the planning board, followed by 4-6 weeks of testing.

The $4.5 million project will likely count toward the company’s requirement for investment to get a $30 million tax credit approved by lawmakers earlier this year. The new tax credit, specifically designed to benefit BIW, would give the shipyard $30 million in tax credits over a 10-year period, as long as the shipyard made a qualified investment of $100 million in its facilities.

nstrout@timesrecord.com