Castlegar, British Columbia – The Design-Build Institute of America selected the Arrow Lakes Generating Station Project for the ‘2003 Design-Build Excellence Award’ in the category of Industrial/Process Sector over $25 million. The project, one of North America’s largest design-build hydroelectric projects, was selected for its use of advanced and innovative applications to surmount the many challenges faced in the completion of the project. This solution ultimately resulted in the reduction of the original 78-month schedule by 22 months allowing the Owner to take advantage of favorable power sales a full season early.
Initiated by the Columbia Power Corporation (CPC) and the Columbia Basin Trust (CBT), the Arrow Lakes Generating Station Project involved the design and construction of a 170-MW two-unit powerplant approximately 400-meters downstream from the existing Hugh Keenleyside Dam. A new 1500-meter approach channel diverts water from Arrow Lakes Reservoir to the new powerplant and a short tailrace channel returns the water to the Columbia River. The project also included the construction of a 48-kilometer transmission line to link the powerhouse to the Selkirk Substation.
The Arrow Lakes first unit began producing power in February 2002 and was fully operational and handed over to the Owner in January 2003.
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About MWH
Headquartered in Broomfield, Colo., MWH is a private, employee-owned firm with approximately 6,000 employees worldwide. The company provides water, wastewater, energy, natural resource, program management, consulting and construction services to industrial, municipal and government clients in the Americas, Europe, Middle East, India, Asia and the Pacific Rim. For more information about MWH, please visit the company’s Web site at www.mwhglobal.com.
