John Hart Generating Station Replacement Project

Frontier-Kemper crew underground at completed power tunnel

Photo Credit: Craig Minielly / Aura Photographics

aerial view of john hart generating statiion in campbell river, bc

drill jumbo at work underground at john hart

PROJECT DETAILS:

LOCATION: Campbell River, BC, Canada

MARKET: Hydroelectric

OWNER: BC Hydro

CONTRACTOR: FK/ASL JV
(FKC ULC/Aecon SNC Lavalin JV)

START DATE: August 2014

COMPLETED: August 2017

The Frontier-Kemper/ASL Joint Venture was formed to construct the underground workings of the John Hart Generating Station Replacement Project in Campbell River, British Columbia. Built in 1947 on the Campbell River, the existing 126-MW John Hart Generating Station represents approximately 17% of the total generating capacity on Vancouver Island.

The replacement project created a more reliable, seismically-robust, and environmentally-friendly facility with an increased installed capacity of 132 MW. SNC Lavalin signed an agreement with BC Hydro to design, build, partially finance, and rehabilitate the John Hart Generating Station Replacement Facility. The new station was operationally commissioned in November 2018.

The principle feature of the project is the Underground Powerhouse, where (3) three Turbines totaling 132 MW are fed by an 8.1m x 8.1m, inverted, D-shaped, Power Tunnel 1.6 km long, excavated with Drill-and-Blast methods.
A series of adits and ramps provide temporary and permanent access to the crown and service bay of the 23m x 39m x 93m Underground Powerhouse.
A Drop Raise Shaft is foreseen in the Powerhouse, facilitating the spoils removal cycle while excavating the powerhouse benches.
An Intake Shaft (6.5m-diameter x 60m-deep) excavated using Conventional Shaft Sinking methods conducts water from the intake structure to the entrance of the Power Tunnel.
A Shaft (4m-diameter by 109m-deep) excavated by a Raise Bore Machine accommodates the upstream surge requirements of the system.
A Tailrace Tunnel 6.5m x 10.7m excavated by top heading and bench using Drill-and-Blast methods conducts water 550m from the Draft Tubes and Bypass Tunnels to the Tailrace Structure on the Campbell River.