GE Renewable Energy to Refurbish Hydro Turbines at the Rock Island Plant and Extend Their Life for the Next 40 Years

GE Renewable Energy signed a Design Build Agreement (DBA) with Chelan County PUD, a US public utility, to start the design process for the rehabilitation of eight Bulb generating units at Rock Island Powerhouse 2 in the U.S.

“These units were installed in the late 1970s and have run trouble-free for the most part,” said John Sagerser, engineering and project manager at Rock Island Dam. “They have a 40-year design life and they are beginning to show signs of wear. Rock Island Powerhouse 2 is a critical part of the District’s programs to minimize environmental impacts in such areas as fish passage and total dissolved gas. That’s why Environmental Stewardship is one of the four strategic goals for the project, and why improvements to minimize oil, grease and other potential contaminants are key elements of the work.”

Pascal Radue, President and CEO of GE's Hydro Solutions said, “I am delighted that Chelan County PUD has renewed their confidence in GE’s Hydro Solutions. We have established a collaborative and transparent approach with Chelan County PUD. This close relationship enables us to clearly understand their needs and work side by side in order to provide a customized solution and execution planning that best meets their needs.”

The main objective of the Powerhouse 2 rehabilitation is to maintain the overall plant equipment reliability for the next 40 years using innovative and environment-friendly solutions, two important factors that guided the development of a new GE’s hydro solution.

As part of the rehabilitation, GE Renewable Energy will provide a new oil-free runner solution. Traditional runners use oil as lubricants, by avoiding that the GE design eliminates the risk of oil leaking into water passing through the runners.