B.C. Hydro is gearing up to start its Ladore Dam upgrading project next year, announcing Wednesday that it’s looking for a general contractor to lead the work.
The request for proposals to upgrade the dam — near McIvor Lake west of Campbell River — and to supply and install spillway gates closes Aug. 30.
A budget has not yet been announced but the project is expected to have an overall cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars. It requires regulatory and funding approvals.
The cost of the Ladore project will be part of B.C. Hydro’s filing with the B.C. Utilities Commission this spring.
Plans call for seismic upgrades to the spillway gates to ensure the system can safely pass water downstream in the case of a major earthquake or major flood.
B.C. Hydro spokesman Stephen Watson said Wednesday the project will improve the reliability of the spillway gate system, along with its power supply, control and telecommunications.
Once the upgrade is completed, Ladore Dam will meet dam safety guidelines, Watson said.
The Ladore Dam was built in 1949 and its powerhouse was finished in 1957. The concrete dam is about 38 metres tall and 95 metres long. Water from the Lower Campbell River reservoir enters a 520-metre-long tunnel through rock and flows to the powerhouse downstream.
Construction is expected to begin late next year, starting with site-preparation work, then moving to the spillway gates, where hoist system components will be replaced one at a time.
Work on the first spillway gate is to be carried out in 2026 and the final one in 2028. The entire project is anticipated to be completed in 2029.
Construction could result in about 70 jobs per year over three years.
The Ladore Dam is one of three hydroelectric dams on the Campbell River system. The John Hart Dam is downstream and the Strathcona Dam is upstream.
There is a downstream risk from a major earthquake until the spillway gates are upgraded, along with planned seismic improvements at the Strathcona and John Hart dams, Watson said.
B.C. Hydro has been meeting with First Nations, government agencies and other stakeholders as it plans the process.
There is no public access to the dam.
Anyone interested in following the three dam projects, including sub-contractors and those looking for work, can go to majorprojects.ca.
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