Alstom Hydro to refurbish power plant in Washington

Alstom Hydro in Canada was awarded a contract valued at more than US$80 million by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the refurbishment of 10 Francis turbines at the Chief Joseph hydropower plant situated on the Columbia River near Bridgeport, Wash.

The scope of work includes the engineering, model test, manufacturing, site installation and commissioning of 10 new runners of 3.8 meters in diameter. Refurbishment will bring up the turbines' output from the present 71 megawatts to 88 megawatts each, an increase of 20 percent.

Engineering is already under way at the company's division in Sorel-Tracy, Canada, with the project scheduled for completion in 2013. Manufacturing of these turbines will be carried out at the Sorel-Tracy factory.

"We are particularly proud to serve once again a client like the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with whom we have a longstanding working relationship," says Claude Lambert, president and chief executive officer of Alstom Hydro USA. "This contract is a confirmation that Alstom Hydro's technical solutions meet the expectations of its client."