BC Hydro has started the process to obtain a general contractor for the Ladore Spillway Seismic Upgrade Project.
A Request for Proposal to lead the construction work for the project has been posted on BC Bid. The planned seismic upgrade to the Ladore spillway gates will enable the facility to continue to safely pass water downstream following a major earthquake or during a major flood event.
“Public safety is our highest priority, and we’re committed to delivering safe and reliable electricity to our customers,” says BC Hydro spokesperson, Stephen Watson. “For the Ladore project, a public safety driven project, we have reached a key milestone with the start of the public procurement process to retain a general contractor to lead the construction of this important project.”
The project requires regulatory and funding approvals to proceed.
Ladore is the middle hydroelectric facility on the Campbell River system, with the Strathcona Dam upstream and the John Hart Dam downstream.
“The Ladore Spillway Seismic Upgrade project is required to address dam safety risks at the Ladore Dam and will improve the overall seismic withstand of the spillway gates system to meet dam safety guidelines,” says Watson. “The project will improve the reliability of operation of the ageing spillway gate system, improve the spillway gate system’s power supply, control and telecommunications, and the facilities’ seismic withstand will be improved to withstand a major earthquake.”
There is an interim downstream risk from a major earthquake until the spillway gates system is upgraded, along with the planned seismic upgrade works at the Strathcona Dam and the John Hart Dam. Vancouver Island is within the most seismically active zone in British Columbia. Since 2014, BC Hydro, the City of Campbell River and the Strathcona Regional District have collaborated to inform the downstream community of the potential interim risk from a major earthquake. This collaboration includes the development of brochures, kiosks and evacuation area maps.
Since 2015, BC Hydro has been meeting with First Nations, government agencies and stakeholders on the project as BC Hydro refined the project design and considered community interests. There is no public access to the Ladore facility so there are few specific community points of interest, though there are some general interests expressed about the protection of fish and wildlife habitat, protecting water quality, and economic opportunities such as job and subcontractor work.
“Contingent on regulatory and funding approvals, construction is planned to begin in fall 2024 and the project completion is forecasted for 2029,” adds Watson. “The three spillway gates, with associated hoist system components, are proposed to be replaced one at a time.”
The project may generate about 70 jobs per year over about three years.
The Ladore Dam was completed in 1949, and the powerhouse was completed in 1957. The concrete Ladore Dam is about 38 metres tall and 95 metres long. The facility has three spillway gates. Water from the Lower Campbell Reservoir enters a 520-metre-long tunnel in rock and flows to the 47 MW powerhouse downstream.