News Release Archive

Contract Awarded for Turbine Runner Repair at Grand Coulee Dam

Media Contact: John Redding, (208) 378-5212, jredding@pn.usbr.gov
Craig Sprankle, csprankle@pn.usbr.gov

For Release: June 24, 2005

The Bureau of Reclamation has awarded a $1.4 million contract to Hydro Power Services, LLC, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, to work on six turbines at Grand Coulee Dam in eastern Washington State.

"The power plants at Grand Coulee are truly a national resource, and Reclamation takes its responsibility to maintain these plants in good working order very seriously," said Reclamation Commissioner John Keys in announcing the award.

Periodically, all hydroelectric generators require routine maintenance and overhaul to ensure that system stability and integrity are not compromised. The contract is for all labor, equipment, and resources necessary to repair pitting and wear damage caused by cavitation on the turbine runners or water wheels.

These generators typically operate for about three years before requiring cavitation repairs, according to Reclamation. Work on the six, large hydroelectric generators in the Third Power Plant at Grand Coulee Dam will take place over the next three years. These turbines were placed in service beginning in 1975, and each has undergone several major overhauls. They are constructed of carbon steel, but a significant amount of stainless steel has been added during previous repair work.

The power facilities at Grand Coulee Dam include 33 generators in three power plants and a pumping plant and three switchyards. The rated electrical capacity of Grand Coulee is 6,809,000 kilowatts, making it the largest hydroelectric dam in North America. Grand Coulee provides water for approximately 600,000 acres in the Columbia Basin Project and generates 19,000,000,000 kilowatt hours of power annually

# # #

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.