Dam Safety

Aecon consortium wins contract for John Hart Dam Seismic Upgrade project

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Aecon consortium wins contract for John Hart Dam Seismic Upgrade project

Aecon Group Inc. announced that Aecon-EBC General Partnership has been awarded the first phase of a $245 million two-phase civil construction contract for the John Hart Dam Seismic Upgrade project on the Campbell River in British Columbia, Canada.

The scope of work involves upgrading earth-stabilizing infrastructure to improve the seismic resiliency of the existing John Hart Dam. John Hart Dam, built in the 1940s, is about 34 m tall and more than 800 m long. The key components of the John Hart Dam Seismic Upgrade project are new upstream and downstream berms, spillway gate and hoist replacement, a new overflow spillway, and an additional water seepage barrier in the middle earth-fill dam.

Aecon-EBC General Partnership is a consortium between Aecon (60%) and EBC (40%) in which Aecon is the lead partner. Aecon’s share of the contract will be added to its construction segment backlog in the fourth quarter of 2022.

An early contractor involvement (ECI) phase will commence in the fourth quarter of 2022 to collaboratively plan and prepare for construction, Aecon said. Upon completion of the ECI phase and after BC Hydro’s final project decision, BC Hydro intends to issue authorization to proceed with construction, which is expected to commence in the third quarter of 2023 with anticipated completion by the end of 2026.

An Aecon-led joint venture completed the John Hart Generating Station Replacement project in 2019, which included the construction of a new water intake, replacement of three penstocks with a tunnel, and construction of a new underground generating station and water bypass facility. The new station has a capacity of 138 MW and was operationally commissioned in November 2018.

The innovative project was the first hydroelectric public-private partnership in Canada and was recognized with the 2018 Tunnelling Association of Canada Award of Excellence.

“This project will ensure the continued supply of safe, reliable power for surrounding communities,” said Jean-Louis Servranckx, president and chief executive officer, Aecon Group. “We look forward to working with our partner while further strengthening our relationship with BC Hydro through this collaborative approach.”