The Bureau of Reclamation awarded a $5.53 million contract April 9 to Koontz Electric Company, Inc., an Arkansas-based business, to replace the switchgear at Hungry Horse Dam.
According to the agency, work under this contract consists of several components: design, furnish, install, test and commission one replacement 2,400-volt station service distribution system, two replacement 480-volt station service distribution systems, two new 15kV disconnect switches, and one 2400-volt engine generator set. The work is expected to start around April 19 and be completed by Dec. 31, 2015.
“This project is just one way Reclamation is working to maximize efficient and reliable power production for customers across a large area of the Northwest,” stated Facility Operations Manager Dennis Philmon. “These repairs are essential so that the switchgear at Hungry Horse Dam maintains its reliability for years to come in serving the area extending from the Continental Divide westward to the Pacific Ocean.”
KECI is a diversified heavy industrial electrical contractor and has been in business for over 50 years. In the last 10 years, they completed over 500 projects exceeding $180 million. For 12 consecutive years, KECI has received the Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc., Excellence in Construction award.
Hungry Horse Dam was completed in 1953. It is located on the South Fork of the Flathead River, 15 miles south of the west entrance to Glacier National Park.