235 MW East Toba and Montrose Hydroelectric Project

Project Overview

The 235 MW East Toba and Montrose Hydroelectric Project includes two run-of-river hydroelectric facilities on East Toba River (147 MW) and Montrose Creek (88 MW), 150 km of 230 kV transmission line, 70 km of new access road, and 11 major bridge crossings.

Project Role

Knight Piésold identified and permitted the project for Toba Montrose General Partnership and was subsequently retained by Peter Kiewit Infrastructure Co. (Kiewit) to perform the detailed design of the project under an EPC contract, guaranteeing performance, schedule, and price. Knight Piésold has an ongoing role conducting environmental compliance monitoring and facility upgrade engineering.

Project accomplishments at the time of completion include the design of the largest run-of-river project in British Columbia’s history (East Toba River facility); design of the largest Coanda screen installation in the world (Montrose Creek intake); design of 10 km of penstocks with head up to 560 m including soil restrained buried penstock that eliminated the need for expensive concrete anchor blocks; design of a 150-km-long 230 kV transmission line through hazardous terrain that resulted in a robust low impact alignment; and enduring relationships with local communities and three First Nations groups.

Commissioned ahead of schedule, the project currently delivers green energy to BC Hydro under a long-term energy purchase agreement, providing a sustainable and renewable source of energy to British Columbians for generations.

Awards

• Lieutenant Governor’s Award, 2011 ACEC-BC Awards for Engineering Excellence
• Award of Excellence, Energy & Industry Category, 2011 ACEC-BC Awards for Engineering Excellence