BC Hydro awards $40 million contract for dam upgrade

BC Hydro has awarded Peter Kiewit Infrastructure Co. a $40 million contract to upgrade the Mica hydroelectric dam near Revelstoke.

The work will involve adding two generating units, which will increase the dam’s generating capacity to 2,805 megawatts from the current 1,805 megawatts.

The civil contract includes the supply and placement of reinforced concrete needed to house turbine parts.

All workers for the Mica 5 and 6 generating units will be hired through the Columbia Hydro Constructors agreement, which gives preference to Columbia Basin workers.

BC Hydro says the project will create 121 person years of employment over the next five years.

"BC Hydro is taking important steps to secure our province's future electricity needs by re-investing in our heritage generating facilities," Energy and Mines minister Rich Coleman said in a BC Hydro news release. “The work being done at Mica will not only ensure the facility continues generating clean electricity for British Columbians for years to come, but will also benefit many families through job creation.”

“The Mica units 5 and 6 project is a low-cost and low-impact project that will provide the much-needed additional capacity to BC Hydro’s electricity system,” said Chris O'Riley, BC Hydro’s executive vice-president of generation. "This is a significant amount of electricity that will increase BC Hydro’s provincial capacity by nearly 9 per cent, allowing BC Hydro to provide clean, reliable and affordable electricity to an additional approximately 80,000 homes at peak demand periods."

Many of B.C.’s power generating facilities, such as dams, are decades old and in need of upgrading.

The Mica hydroelectric dam, located 135 kilometres north of Revelstoke on the Columbia River, is B.C.’s largest and, with the new upgrades, will be its most powerful.

The Mica dam was originally designed to house six generating units, but only four were installed when it was built in 1977.