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Eight projects on eight of 10 generating units

The replacement of turbines in five units will take several years to complete, with each unit taking seven months.

Because of the province’s reliance on GM Shrum, the turbines will be replaced in stages to ensure any units are not out-of-service during the peak load season – the winter – when demand in the province is the highest.

 Use the anchor links below to view a short description and status update of each project:

• Project: Units 1 to 5 Turbine Rehabilitation
• Project: Units 1 to 4 Generator Stators Replacement
• Project: Units 6 & 7 Rotor Pole Replacement
• Project: Units 1 to 4 Rotor Pole Replacement/Rehabilitation
• Project: Transformer Replacement
• Project: Units 6 to 8 Capacity Increase
• Project: Station Service Replacement
• Intake Gantry Crane Replacement 

Project: Units 1 to 5 Turbine Rehabilitation

The need for renewal

The 1960s era turbines in GMS Units 1 to 5 must be replaced to ensure ongoing reliability, availability and operational flexibility of these units, which represent 12 per cent of BC Hydro’s power production.

Another benefit of the project will be an improvement in turbine efficiency and capacity. Modern turbine design will provide an additional 177 gigawatt hours of energy annually with the same water usage.

The current maximum capacity per turbine is 261 megawatts. The new turbines will be limited to the current capacity because of other existing equipment capacity constraints and existing water licence limitations.

It will ultimately allow the generating units to one day operate at a capacity of 310 megawatts. However, this capacity increase will require additional equipment upgrades, which are not currently planned, and approval from the Ministry of Environment.

What’s involved?

The first stage of project implementation consists of the design and modelling of a turbine. In July 2010 stage two of the project was awarded to Voith Hydro and the project has now entered the implementation phase.

The second stage includes shop fabrication of the turbine followed by site construction, installation and start-up of the turbine. The first turbine unit is expected to be operational in November 2012, and work on the other four units will continue sequentially until all five units are in service by mid 2015.

The fabrication of components for the first unit is nearing completion and is expected to be delivered to GMS in March 2012. Work at site to install the first unit will then begin.

Manufacturing of components for the second unit is well underway. The turbine components are being manufactured in Canada, Brazil, China, Romania and Italy.

Project: Units 1 to 4 Generator Stators Replacement

The generator stators (the stationary part of the generating unit that converts the mechanical energy of the rotor into electrical energy) in Units 1 to 4 were also built in the 1960s and are due for replacement.

Installation of the first unit began four years ago. All four units were completed when the last unit was brought into service this summer.

Project: Units 6, 7 & 8 Rotor Pole Replacement

Rotor poles (the rotating part of the generator connected to the turbine) on GMS Units 6 and 7 also required replacement to accommodate the increased generating capacity on Units 6 and 7.

The installation of new rotor poles on GMS units 6, 7 and 8 is now complete. The new rotor poles will improve reliability and support the increased generating capacity on units 6, 7 and 8 (see 6 to 8 Capacity Increase project below).

Project: Unit 1 to 4 Rotor Pole Replacement/Rehabilitation

The rotor poles (the rotating part of the generator connected to the turbine) on GMS Units 1 to 4 also require replacement or rehabilitation to ensure reliability.

The project was approved for full implementation in April and a contract to supply the new and refurbished rotor poles was awarded to Andritz Hydro in May 2011.

Installations are scheduled to align with work being carried out on the Turbine Replacement project.

Project: Transformer Replacement

GMS has 30 unit transformers (the device that increases the voltage from low voltage 13,500 volts to high voltage 500,000 volts, to allow transmission over distance). Nine of these transformers will be replaced to ensure the reliability of the plant.

Six transformers have been installed to date (one in 2008, five in 2009). A further three will be installed in the third quarter of 2011.

Project: Units 6 to 8 Capacity Increase

GMS Units 6 to 8 will be refurbished to increase the plant capacity by 90 megawatts by replacing the generator circuit breakers and iso-phase bus. This increase in capacity is allowable within the current water licence.

The B.C. Environmental Assessment Office (BCEAO) reviewed the proposed upgrade and confirmed the project would not require an Environmental Assessment Certificate, and may proceed because it will not have significant adverse environmental, economic, social, heritage, or health affects.

Work started in 2009 and is expected to be completed by the fall of 2013. One unit is now complete and in service. The manufacturing of components for the second unit is well underway, and installation will begin in September 2011. Installation of the third and final unit will commence in the spring of 2012.

Project: Station Service Replacement

The station service system provides the power for the plant controls, battery systems, fire systems and all the auxiliary systems necessary to run the plant’s generators.

Five of the ten generator’s controls were upgraded in 2009, and three more were completed in 2010. The final two are scheduled for completion in 2011.

Intake Gantry Crane Replacement

The 40-year-old GMS Intake Gantry Crane, which lifts the intake gate to any one of the ten generator turbines to allow water to pass through, is in the final stages of being upgraded. It is expected to be back in service by November 2010.