LOVELAND, Colo. - The Bureau of Reclamation has awarded a $5,529,966 contract to American Hydro for repair work and updates at Marys Lake Powerplant, about three miles southwest of Estes Park, Colorado in Larimer County. The work consists of a unit runner replacement and turbine overhaul.
“These are needed repairs for a major component of the Colorado Big-Thompson Project," said Eastern Colorado Area Manager, Jeff Rieker. “This work is critical to ensuring Marys Lake Powerplant and the Colorado Big-Thompson Project continues operating safely and effectively into the future."
Overhauling the unit will not only help to avoid potential failures in the future, but will also improve unit reliability and efficiency, reduce annual O&M cost, and reduce the frequency and duration of unscheduled outages. Installing ultrasonic flow meter equipment in the penstock will allow for better tracking of unit performance as well as water delivery.
Marys Lake Powerplant, on average, generates more than 30 Gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity each year. In perspective, 1 GWh of electricity is enough to power 300,000 homes, or more than 100 million LED lights.
“Hydropower continues to be a safe, reliable, and affordable form of renewable energy for the citizens of Colorado," said Rieker.
The work is scheduled to be completed in late 2023.
The Colorado-Big Thompson Project is one of the largest and most complex natural resource developments undertaken by Reclamation. It consists of over 100 structures integrated into a transmountain water diversion system through which multiple benefits are provided to the people. The project spreads over approximately 250 miles in the State of Colorado. It stores, regulates, and diverts water from the Colorado River on the western slope of the Continental Divide to the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains. It provides supplemental water for irrigation of about 720,000 acres of land, municipal and industrial use, hydroelectric power, and water-oriented recreation opportunities.
For more information please contact Tyler Johnson at TJohhnson@usbr.gov or 406-247-7609.
Source: Bureau of Reclamation
