Hydroelectric Upgrades Under Construction in the U.S. and Canada Tops $3.6 Billion

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Written by Jesse Broehl, Assistant Editor-in-Chief, IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

Government and private owners of hydro projects in the U.S. and Canada are busy replacing, modernizing, and upgrading equipment and plant facilities to ensure continued operation of existing plants, add more generation capacity, make more efficient use of the existing resource, and prolong the plant operational life. Projects currently under construction represent more than $3.6 billion and 9.4 gigawatts.

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$3.6 Billion of Projects in Construction in the U.S. and Canada

Hydroelectricity is an often-forgotten source of power, since new plants are rarely built due to their heavy environmental impact and the related permitting challenges. But at a time of high electricity demand, every new generation source is needed, and hydroelectric power is quietly playing an impactful role.

Government and private owners of hydro projects are busy replacing, modernizing and upgrading equipment and plant facilities to ensure continued operation of existing plants, add more generation capacity, make more efficient use of the existing resource, and prolong the plant's operational life.

As of February, there are more than $106 billion in projects across the U.S. and Canada under construction to optimize existing power plants of all kinds, according to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database.

More than $3.6 Billion Under Construction, Representing More than 9.4 GW

Of that $106 billion in projects across the U.S. and Canada, hydroelectric projects represent about $3.6 billion. The projects represent just more than 9.4 gigawatts (GW) of nameplate power capacity.

The project types are primarily modernization, replacements and upgrades.

Click on the image at right for a graph showing hydroelectric upgrades in the U.S. and Canada by project type.

The bulk of the spending, not surprisingly, is occurring in two states with some of the highest existing hydroelectricity capacity: Washington and New York.

Click on the image at right for a chart showing hydroelectric upgrades under construction by state or province.

Some examples of the higher dollar value projects and project details follow. All 39 projects are detailed at this compilation.

Examples of U.S. Hydroelectric Upgrade Projects Under Construction:

Robert H. Moses Hydro Station in Niagara, New York, $1.06 billion, 2,639 megawatts (MW): Hydro unit and turbine modernization for 12 units of 194 MW, hydro station head gate refurbishment, penstock refurbishment, etc. (12 projects under one large umbrella project). New York Power Authority owns the plant and Voith Hydro GE Renewables are the lead contractors.

Rock Island Hydro Power Station in Rock Island, Washington, $440 million, 416 MW: Hydroelectric turbine motor replacements (eight units, each 52 MW). The plant owner is Chelan Public Utility District (PUD) No. 1 and the lead engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) provider is Olsson Industrial Electric Incorporated.

Robert S Kerr Hydro Powerhouse in Sallisaw, Oklahoma, $192 million, 128 MW: Replace (4) existing 32 MW Allis Chalmers Kaplan Turbines (1971 Vintage) with New Kaplan Turbine Runners with a rated output of 49,300 hp to accommodate the new rewound generators and associated equipment. The plant owner is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the lead EPC is ANDRITZ Hydro Corporation.

Priest Rapids Hydro Power Station in Mattawa, Washington, $160 million, 955 MW: At the existing hydroelectric power station, rewind stators on 10 English Electric generators. The owner is the Grant County Public Utility District No. 2 and the lead EPC is Alstom Hydro.

Examples of Canada Hydroelectric Upgrade Projects Under Construction:

Rapide-Blanc Generating Station in La Tuque, Quebec, $615 million, 204 MW: A modernization program replace its existing six 34-MW hydro turbine generator sets with Voith Vertical Francis hydro turbine generator sets along with the modernization of the balance of the plant. Hydro-Quebec is the plant owner and Voith is the equipment supplier and contractor.

Carillon Hydro Generating Station in Saint-Andre-D'argenteuil, Quebec, $570 million: Renovate and modernize Unit 01 to Unit 06 equipped with six 53.7-MW Kaplan Vertical Hydro turbines of Dominion Engineering Works (Andritz). Hydro-Quebec is the plant owner and Adritz-HMI is the turnkey contractor.

All 39 projects are detailed at this compilation.

Key Takeaways

• In the U.S. and Canada, there is approximately $3.6 billion in estimated total investment value (TIV) for projects currently under construction in the hydroelectric sector focused on rehabilitating or upgrading existing hydro projects. That $3.6 billion TIV in current projects represents enabling more than 9.4 GW of hydroelectric generation.
• The project types are primarily modernization, replacements and upgrades.
• The bulk of the spending is in two states with some of the highest existing hydroelectricity capacity: Washington and New York.
• The largest of the projects is at the Robert H. Moses Hydro Station in Niagara, New York, where a $1.06 billion project is upgrading around 2,639 MW of capacity.

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About IIR News Intelligence
IIR News Intelligence is a trusted source of news for the industrial process and energy markets, powered by Industrial Info Resources' Global Market Intelligence (GMI).

About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 Trillion (USD).