Rehabilitation and Repair

Grant PUD reports rehab of Priest Rapids unit completed ahead of schedule

Grant PUD reports rehab of Priest Rapids unit completed ahead of schedule

During a recent meeting, Grant PUD project managers reported that the rehabilitation of the fifth turbine-generator unit at its 955.6 MW Priest Rapids project was completed 38 days ahead of schedule.

The project managers are crediting teamwork and a new cloud-based tool for project scheduling, resource management and performance monitoring for shaving thousands of work hours off the rehab.

Rehab of the fifth of the 10 generating units at Priest Rapids, on the Columbia River in Washington State, required 88,000 work hours to complete, compared to 95,000 hours for the previous turbine-generating unit, according to Project Manager Eric Hull.

The Oracle software tool, Primavera, was responsible for a portion of the efficiency gain, combined with teamwork. Rehab of a unit requires more than 800 individual tasks, each requiring at least one day, he said. The tool allows managers and supervisors to better schedule and reschedule work crews to reduce down time due to unexpected supply chain and other delays.

Grant PUD launched the software two years ago, he said. Rehabilitation work at Priest Rapids began in August 2016. The final five units are scheduled to be rehabbed by late October 2029.

At the meeting, commissioners unanimously approved a motion authorizing the general manager on behalf of Grant PUD to execute seven-year contract, not to exceed $6.6 million, with Brazil Quality Services for inspection support for the turbine-generator upgrades at Priest Rapids Dam through 2030. Grant PUD awarded Brazil a similar contract, for 10 years, in July 2014 for factory inspections in China and Brazil, where components were being manufactured.

In addition, during the third quarter financial report, commissioners learned that operating revenues have increased by $154.7 million through the first nine months of 2023 compared with the same time in 2022. Jennifer Sager, senior manager of accounting, told the commissioners that variance is primarily because of a $129.3 million increase in wholesale revenues and $25.6 million in additional retail revenues. At the same time, operating expenses increased by $11.8 million, which makes for net operating income of $239.6 million for the nine months ending Sept. 30, 2023, which is $142.9 million higher than the previous year.

The utility is projecting that by the end of 2023, it will see a net operating income of $268.1 million, well above the budget of $108.5 million. The district is projecting to transfer a portion of that money into its Reserve & Contingency fund, plus provide internal loans to help pay for capital improvements. 

In addition to Priest Rapids, Grant PUD owns and operates the 1,092 MW Wanapum, 9.4 MW Quincy Chute and 6.5 MW Potholes East Canal projects.