Canadian utility Ontario Power Generation has awarded a contract to GE Renewable Energy to perform a major overhaul and upgrade of two units at its 205-MW Little Long hydroelectric plant near Kapuskasing, Ontario.
The deal, announced during HydroVision International 2017, will see GE Renewable Energy replace the switchgear and electrical components for Little Long‘s 65 W Unit 1 and 75 W Unit 2. The company will also provide and install a new head gate for Unit 1.
“Power plant overhauls are an investment for the future and for the [Canada’s] energy transition,” GE Hydro Solutions President and CEO Yves Rannou said. “A project such as Little Long mirrors the commitment of our services team to our customers in North America and Canada specifically.”
The contract is GE Renewable Energy’s second awarded by OPG for work at Little Long. Previously, the company replaced both units’ runners. Combined with the pending upgrades, the project’s cumulative output capacity is expected to increase by about 10%.
“We are glad that Ontario Power Generation renewed their confidence in us,” Rannou said.
Little Long’s first generating unit was commissioned in 1963. The plant is part of OPG’s Lower Mattagami Project, which also includes the Harmon, Kipling and Smoky Falls facilities. The utility announced in October 2016 that it had reached the financial close of a C$220 million private placement bond offering to complete the financing for the completed redevelopment and expansion of the four plants.
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