BC Hydro has awarded a single-source contract for work on the Bridge River Powerhouse II generator replacement program to Voith Hydro under a master service agreement between the two companies. To fulfill the contract, Voith will build and install new generators for Units 7 and 8, replacing the existing ones that were originally installed in the 1940s.

“BC Hydro is pleased to be able to award Voith Hydro the contract to build and install Units 7 and 8 generators as part of our Bridge River upgrade project,” said Ken Talbot, stations projects director of project delivery at BC Hydro. “The Bridge River system is an integral part of the province’s electricity system and generates enough electricity to power the equivalent of 300,000 homes in B.C. a year.”

As the contractor on the project, Voith will take on all aspects of the project, from planning, design and scheduling to construction, installation and commissioning, which it says can streamline the design, production and installation processes. Voith will work directly with BC Hydro engineers to ensure it meets the utility’s needs. During the project, Voith will deliver and install a number of generator components including multi-turn coils, stators, rotors, bearings, field poles, sole plates and instrumentation.

“A key part of the scope of this project was to improve the units’ energy output,” said Eric Lamontagne, vice president of account management, Voith Hydro, North America. “We’re doing that with a modernized generator design and components. Aside from being good for BC Hydro’s customers, these improvements also help the B.C. government meet its low carbon emission goal by boosting the capabilities of its existing clean-energy generation facilities.”

The design and production of components for the generator units will take place at Voith Hydro manufacturing plants in Canada, the U.S. and Brazil. The multi-turn coil technology used in the generators exceeds Canadian Insulation Standards. After basic construction, the generators will be assembled from those components on-site.

Bridge River Powerhouse II Units 7 and 8 are high-head Pelton units located on Seton Lake which feed through a 4,000-meter tunnel from the Carpenter Lake reservoir, with 1,326-meter-long penstocks. Voith has already completed replacements of Units 5 and 6 at the powerhouse.

Two subcontractors, FMI and Tsa’alh Development Corporation, will be assisting on the work locally. The project is expected to be complete by spring 2021.