News Release Archive

Reclamation Awards $17 million Construction Contract for Third Power Plant Improvements

Media Contact: Lynne Brougher, (509) 633-9503, lbrougher@usbr.gov
John Redding, jredding@usbr.gov

For Release: March 05, 2010

The Bureau of Reclamation awarded a $17 million construction contract for new excitation equipment for all six generators in the Third Power Plant at Grand Coulee Dam located on the Columbia River about 90 miles west of Spokane, Wash.

The contract was awarded to ABB Inc., St-Laurent, Quebec, Canada, on March 1, 2010. Funding for the project is coming from the Bonneville Power Administration which markets power generated from federal hydropower facilities in the Pacific Northwest.

"This project will maintain Grand Coulee Dam's reputation as a source of clean, renewable energy that will provide economic benefits throughout the Pacific Northwest for years to come," said Commissioner Mike Connor.

The new exciters will replace obsolete equipment that is prone to frequent breakdowns often resulting in lost revenue and power generation. A one-week outage with only one generator is estimated to cost about $250,000, but if a second generator is also out-of-service the costs climb to nearly $800,000. Financial losses can ascend over four times as much in July when power demands are at their highest.

"Recently, one of the 800-MVA generators was forced out of service for several days by the failure of a small choke coil in the exciter regulator circuitry," said David Murillo, Grand Coulee Power Manager. "Completing this project will keep our power system strong and dependable."

The contractor will furnish and install the six new digitally-controlled excitation systems complete with power potential transformers, power circuit breakers and other associated equipment, and also remove existing equipment.

The contractor will manufacture the components and have the project completed by January 2013.

Grand Coulee Dam, completed in 1942, provides about one-quarter of the total generation of the Federal Columbia River Power System. The dam's generators produce approximately 20 billion Kilowatt-Hours (kWh) of electricity in an average water year, enough to supply more than 1 million homes. It is also a multipurpose facility providing water for irrigation, flood control, recreation, fish, and wildlife.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.