The British Columbia Premier’s Office announced April 6 the selection of Voith Hydro Inc. as the supplier of the turbines and generators for BC’s controversial $9 billion Site C hydro project.
The performance of a turbine-generator is critical to the success of a hydroelectric project, the Premier’s Office noted. Turbines and generators are custom-designed to suit the site-specific conditions of each hydroelectric facility. This made identifying the highest value design essential to BC Hydro’s efforts. A rigorous evaluation process concluded that Voith has a strong delivery record for projects of a similar size and nature and best met BC Hydro’s requirements for the Site C turbines and generators contract.
Voith has provided equipment for a number of BC Hydro projects, including: Revelstoke Unit 5 Project, Ruskin Dam and Powerhouse Upgrade and the Gordon M. Shrum Turbine Replacement Project.
BC Hydro issued a Request for Qualifications in July 2012 and shortlisted three proponent teams to provide proposals for the contract. The Request for Proposals was issued in February 2013 and BC Hydro received proposals from all three teams in July 2015. The turbines and generators contract is included within the $8.335-billion cost estimate for Site C.