The Andritz Hydro Corporation will use a $18,843,500 contract from the Bureau of Reclamation to replace components from three electric generators at the Canyon Ferry Power Plant, which provides residential and commercial customers with electricity.

The replacement of parts for the generators will take three years to complete and will begin in July 2022. 

“Since its inception, the power plant at Canyon Ferry has sustainably generated clean energy,” said Montana Area Manager, Ryan Newman. 

The plant provides low-cost power in the upper portion of the Missouri Basin. 

“This necessary rehab work will ensure these critical pieces of infrastructure continue operating safely and efficiently, generating millions more watt-hours of electricity well into the future,” Newman said.

Over the past decade, the plant has generated roughly 383,700,000 kilowatt hours, which represents a massive portion of the area’s energy needs. 

“With a total capacity of 2,051,000 acre-feet, Canyon Ferry Reservoir provides water for the irrigation of 155,600 acres of land. The reservoir supplements irrigation of 82,000 acres in the upper Missouri area. 

The plant’s construction began in 1949 and was finished in 1954. The first unit became operational in December 1953, while the second and third units started in March 1954. 

The Canyon Ferry Power Plant is part of the larger energy efforts of the Eastern Division of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program, and was authorized by the Flood Control Act of Dec. 22, 1944.