MARY RUTH SNYDER
CAMPBELL RIVER – BC Hydro continues to advance the seismic upgrades proposed for the John Hart dam in Campbell River. The cost estimate for the project is between $497 million and $822 million. The estimate will be refined as the project progresses. BC Hydro initiated the first stage in the procurement process on December 17 with a request for proposals for the civil contract.
The Campbell River & District Chamber of Commerce with BC Hydro operate a website portal majorprojects.ca where companies can register as a supplier for the project to help enable access to the bidding proponents.
Construction is expected to begin in 2023 and the upgrades are expected to be complete in 2029. A thorough application will be submitted to BC Hydro’s regulator, the BC Utilities Commission, the week of December 20.
“It’s exciting to watch the project move forward with these milestones,” said Campbell River & District Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Mary Ruth Snyder. “We’ll have more information in the first few months of 2022 on how suppliers on the majorprojects.ca site may be able to engage with the bidders, likely through video conferencing.”
BC Hydro plans to announce the preferred general contractor for the civil sometime in summer or fall 2022.
John Hart Dam
The John Hart dam is a key component of BC Hydro’s infrastructure on Vancouver Island and the upgrades are required to strengthen the dam so that it can continue to operate safely and reliably. The proposed John Hart Dam Seismic Upgrade project follows the last significant upgrade to the John Hart system, which was the completion of the John Hart Generating Station Replacement project. This project consisted of the construction of a new generating station over a five-year period. The John Hart dam was built in the 1940’s and is 34m tall, and more than 800m long.
BC Hydro has also proposed seismic safety upgrade projects at the Ladore and Strathcona facilities within the Campbell River system. Next steps for those projects include the regulatory and procurement processes.
For information on jobs and contractor and subcontractor opportunities related to the proposed Campbell River dam safety projects, visit majorprojects.ca.
Mary Ruth Snyder is Executive Director of the Campbell River & District Chamber of Commerce