Nanaimo company awarded a contract for Site C hydroelectric dam work

Nanaimo company awarded a contract for Site C hydroelectric dam work
CHEK

File photo.

File photo.

B.C. Hydro announced Friday three contracts have been awarded for work at the Site C hydroelectric dam including a Nanaimo-based company.

Industrial contractor F&M Installations Ltd. of Nanaimo has been awarded a $33 million contract to build the Site C substation in northeast B.C.

Also announced was a $1.6 billion contract to Aecon-Flatiron-Dragados-EBC Partnership (AFDE Partnership), the second largest to be awarded on the project, to work on the generation station and spillways civil works component of the Site C project.

A condition of the deal is for AFDE Partnership to prioritize the hiring of local and Indigenous workers, including a goal of up to 25 per cent apprenticeships on the project.

It is the first major contract since the N.D.P took power.

Premier John Horgan announced in December the province was going ahead with the controversial dam, although the anticipated cost jumped from $8.3 billion to $10.7 billion.

The government said the decision was driven by the need to minimize the cost to ratepayers and the province.

To arrive at its decision, the government used the BC Utilities Commission (BCUC) report from earlier this fall.

The BCUC report stated the project could not be completed within the original $8.3 billion budget and could go 50 per cent over that figure.

Another contract is going to REEL COH Inc. for $23 million to design, supply and commision the generating station and spillways powerhouse bridge and gantry cranes.

Contractors will begin in the spring and complete work over a five-year period.

The project is expected to be completed in November 2024, with the province switching over to the new source by the next year.

Andy NealAndy Neal

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