Since its founding in 1951, Klohn Crippen, now a member of the Berger Group, has been a leading integrated service provider in engineering, management and environmental solutions, as well as a recognized innovator and leader in the energy sector.

Hugh Keenleyside Dam
The Hugh Keenleyside Dam was completed under the U.S.-Canadian Columbia River Treaty. The dam, a 56-meter-high zoned earthfill design, is founded on alluvial deposits over 140 meters deep, which required the placement of a 609-meter-wide impervious blanket upstream. In addition to the dam, the site includes a 15.25-meter-wide, 88-meter-long navigation lock with a lift of 23 meters. The concrete spillway has four 15.25-meter by 16.75-meter vertical lift gates and two six-meter by 7.31-meter low-level outlets.

Klohn Crippen (KC) prepared the initial investigations and design and served as resident engineer for the project in 1961. In 1989, KC prepared the final design for a three-unit, 220-megawatt power plant; but, it was not until 1996 that the newly created Columbia Basin Trust (CBT) and its affiliate Columbia Power Corporation (CPC) decided to proceed. CBT/CPC contracted KCI, a KC-led joint venture, to reevaluate the project and determine whether cost and potential adverse environmental impacts could be reduced. After reevaluation, the Team cut the number of units to two with an output of 170 megawatts, reducing the construction schedule from seven to four years and the generated cost of energy by nearly 25 percent.

In early 1997, KCI was contracted to manage the environmental assessment for the revised project, which obtained approval in 1998, while concurrently providing support to CBT/CPC for obtaining a water license. CBT/CPC elected to implement the project through a design-build contract, and KCI, CBT/CPC's consultant, assisted in the selection of the pre-qualified design-build teams and supervised the construction of the $159 million project.

Hydropower, one of the most abundant sources of renewable energy, accounts for over 20 percent of the world's electricity production...

Cachoeira Dourada Hydroelectric Station
The Brazilian government embarked on a massive privatization campaign, which included power generation and distribution. Cachoeira Dourada Hydroelectric Station was scheduled to be privatized, and KC was selected by Sithe Energies to perform technical due diligence on the 658-megawatt facility on the Paranaiba River. The facility consists of a 2,100-meter-long concrete gravity dam, including power intakes and two separate gated spillways.

The power plant's 10 units occupy three separate powerhouses with provisions for an 11th. In preparing the bid, the Team evaluated and estimated the value for the facility and suggested strategies to enhance output.Sithe Energies also selected KC to perform hydrotechnical due diligence and advise on the value of assets of Eletrosul, a second utility proposed for privatization in Santa Catarina. Eletrosul's main hydroelectric assets, on the Igua¨u River, included Salto Santiago, a 1,350-megawatt facility; Salto Os—rio, a 1,050-megawatt facility; and Salto Caxias, a 1,240-megawatt facility. Eletrosul also has interests in two plants under construction-Machadinho, a 1,040-megawatt facility on the Pelotas River, and It‡, a 1,450-megawatt facility on the Uruguai River.

Bennett Dam
Bennett Dam, on the Peace River in British Columbia, was the highest earthfill dam in the world at 600 feet at the time of construction. The Bennett and the smaller Peace Canyon powerhouses downstream generate 3,500 megawatts of power. Bennett is a conventional earthfill dam founded on sandstone and shale. In 1996, two substantial sinkholes were discovered in the dam. Klohn Crippen was selected to lead the technical evaluation of the sinkholes, the most comprehensive dam safety evaluation ever undertaken. The Team determined that the sinkholes were caused by the collapse of loose backfill around two survey benchmarks raised during the dam's construction. Investigations and ancillary studies indicated that internal erosion of the core into the downstream filters contributed to the sinkholes. The sinkholes were repaired using compaction grouting, a mixture of silt, sand and fine gravel designed with a gradation similar to the dam core, injected under high pressure. Fifteen grouting columns were completed and approximately 5,000 cubic feet of grout material injected.

Big Eddy Dam
The Big Eddy Dam, constructed in 1921 on Ontario's Spanish River, supplies about 25 megawatts of power to Sudbury township and the nearby nickel complex. The dam consists of six separate concrete gravity structures with a total crest length of 353 meters and a maximum height of 44.5 meters. Unfortunately, the original construction joints between the concrete lifts were poorly prepared resulting in leakage and deterioration of the dam's downstream face.

Pacific Rim Power
PT INCO selected Pacific Rim Power (PRP), a joint venture of KC and SNC Lavalin, to review the previous investigations and recommend a comprehensive rehabilitation program. The Team evaluated a wide number of alternatives to determine the most cost effective measures before recommending insulating the upstream concrete from frost penetration; preventing overtopping during the inflow design flood; patching major sources of leakage through the upstream face; stabilizing the intakes; relocating the access road; installing emergency closure gates to protect the turbine and generator units; providing bin walls; insulating the downstream face of the intake structure from freeze thaw temperatures using insulated metal panels; and drafting provisions for a vertical reinforced earth end wall to maximize the length of the intake covered by the fill.

Ear Falls Hydroelectric Generating Station
Situated on the English River near the Ontario-Manitoba boundary, Ear Falls Hydroelectric Generating Station originally supplied power to gold mines in the nearby Red Lake district. Ontario is encouraging small hydro development to coincide with the deregulation of the electricity market and a search for more environment-friendly sources of electricity and invited design-build offers for a new power plant at Ear Falls. The proposed Ear Falls GS Unit 5 will complement the existing Ear Falls GS, which contains four units in a separate powerhouse.

KST Engineers, KC's joint venture with Stone & Webster and Trow, was selected by Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to prepare the definition phase study and detailed design and tender documents for the engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) project. Subsequently, KST was selected to serve as the owner's engineer for OPG's $19 million Ear Falls GS Unit 5 project involving the design-build of a single 10- to 12-megawatt hydroelectric GS adjacent to the existing 17-megawatt GS. Building on OPG's commitment to quadruple their "green energy" portfolio by 2005, this new hydroelectric station qualifies as a clean, renewable power source because it will make optimum use of available water, is less than 15 megawatts in capacity and is being added to an existing station.

Currently, KST is preparing the Water-to-Wire tender documents and the design-build Civil Works contract package. The Team will then evaluate and award both contracts and provide technical and contractual monitoring during construction.

Des Joachims Generating Station
The Des Joachims Generating Station, OPG's largest hydropower facility on the Ottawa River, delivers 2,243 gigawatt hours of energy to the Ontario grid. Begun in 1946, Des Joachims contains eight generating units, each with a 54-megawatt capacity.

Since commissioning in 1951, the dam's transition structures have leaked. The poorly bonded concrete construction joints were the main sources of seepage. Because of the loads imposed on the structure from water control operations, cracks developed in the envelope and provided water paths. During the winter, ice built up on the downstream face of the dam and on the transition.

KST was selected to provide total EPCM services for the $25.4 million Penstock Transition Rehabilitation Project, which involved the rehabilitation of the eight penstocks over a nine-year period. The original water passage design comprised twin rectangular intakes followed by an unlined, reinforced concrete transition structure connected to a steel penstock pipe 6.7 meters in diameter.

The KST team recommended installation of a steel lining in the transition, anchored by existing concrete grouted in place which replaced deteriorating concrete, thus reconstructing the reinforced concrete transition to its original shape. The program was approved and successfully eliminated the seepage.

Asahan
The Asahan River, the only outlet to Sumatra's Lake Toba, a huge natural storage reservoir inside one of the largest collapsed volcanoes in the world, contains three hydroelectric power plants. A fourth has been planned by the Indonesian state electricity authority, Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN). With restructuring of the electricity industry in the early 1990s, this proposed plant, known as Asahan, was slated for private sector development. KC was selected by PT Bajradaya Sentranusa, a private licensee, to structure project finance, update earlier designs, prepare commercial and technical specifications and provide construction management services.

Klohn Crippen performed a detailed review of the site geology; assessed geotechnical and hydrologic risks inherent in the project; and updated earlier designs to meet modern seismic criteria. In an effort to minimize costs, the Team recommended a number of design changes, including modifications to the surge shaft design, the power plant superstructure and the tunnel. The Team also reviewed the program with lenders, contractors, equipment vendors and the PLN power-purchasing group.

Balambano Generating Station
Balambano Generating Station Hydropower from Sulawesi's Larona River provides most of the energy at the PT INCO nickel processing facility. In 1994, when a major expansion program began, PT INCO sought to develop additional power from a new hydroelectric dam on the Larona River.

PRP was selected to prepare a detailed feasibility study, design engineering and environmental assessment for the plant. The Team surveyed the river gorge and identified two sites-Balambano and Karebe-capable of capturing the full hydroelectric potential of the river with minimal flooding, no displacement of population and little impact on existing infrastructure. PT INCO initially elected to proceed with Balambano, the more economic to develop, with development of the Karebe site delayed until expansion of the smelter facilities occurred.

PRP proceeded with detailed power studies, site investigations, topographic surveys, exploratory drilling, seismic refraction surveys, preliminary designs and cost estimates. The Team also reviewed options for partial (137 megawatts) and full development (212 megawatts) of the Lower Larona River and decided to first develop the partial potential. The Team determined that the lowest cost and most rapid construction would be achieved by building a roller compacted concrete (RCC) dam and recommended a gravity dam because of shorter diversion tunnels and the ability to incorporate the spillway and the power intake in the dam body, avoiding the high cost of building a separate spillway in the steep terrain. PRP also provided site management during the construction leading to full power in 2000.

Lasolo Hydroelectric
PT Aneka Tambang operates a nickel mining and processing plant near Pomalaa, Sulawesi. An inefficient diesel generation plant powers the existing two electric arc smelter lines. With the proposed addition of a third line (FeNI-3), installed peak loads would increase from 52 to 100 megawatts.

PRP was selected to develop a preliminary design for a 124-meter-high RCC dam, surface powerhouse and a 150-kilovolt, 96-kilometer transmission line to transmit power to the Pomalaa processing plant. The recommended hydroelectric project will supply 99 percent of the required energy for the expanded plant.

Mountainous terrain and heavy annual rainfall provide Laos with considerable hydroelectric prospects. The Mekong River and its tributaries in Laos have an estimated hydroelectric potential of between 18,000 and 22,000 megawatts.

Nam Theun 2 Hydroelectric Project
The Berger Group has long been active in Laos, beginning in 1974 when a seven-member advisory team assisted the Ministry of Planning with the preparation of their Five-Year Economic Development Plan. A key component of the current development plan, prepared with Berger assistance, is the construction of the monumental $1.2 billion Nam Theun 2 Hydroelectric Project (NT2).

NT2 would enable Laos to export 3,000 megawatts, and the government is encouraging its private development under a team led by Electricite de France. Klohn Crippen developed preliminary designs for Italian-Thai Development Public Company (ITD), one of the team members, and is currently serving as ITD's engineer for the project's value engineering reviews and preparing designs for the main dam, spillway, saddle dams, headrace channel, camp and road works. The 450-square-kilometer NT2 reservoir, located on the Nakai Plateau in central Laos, will be formed by a gravity dam with a maximum height of 48 meters and a crest length of 320 meters. The dam will be constructed with RCC between hills on the right and left abutments, while the foundation will be grouted for seepage control and a drainage curtain provided. The gated spillway will be constructed integrally with the dam section and centered on the alignment of the downstream river channel. The design incorporates five radial gates, each 18 meters wide by 12 meters high.

The Berger Group also prepared an economic, financial and social impact assessment of NT2.

Under the Philippine's ambitious Independent Power Producer Program, the National Power Authority (Napocor) offered several hydroelectric developments to investors and Sithe Energies bid on three: Timbaban, Villa Siga, and Tagoloan 2. Klohn Crippen was retained by Sithe to provide technical assistance.

Timbaban Hydroelectric
The Timbaban Hydroelectric facility, located on the island of Panay, included a concrete gravity dam, a 4,000-meter-long power tunnel and a surface powerhouse. The new dam would provide 22 meters depth of impoundment at the dam with three low-level sluice gates to sluice sediments and release water for downstream users. Klohn Crippen's due diligence of the preliminary designs determined that relocating the powerhouse upstream could eliminate the need for a costly river diversion. The Team also recommended relocating the powerhouse away from the river and utilizing two Pelton units with higher efficiencies. The Team's revised construction plans for a new concrete gravity dam, with a crest length of 50 meters, includes an in-channel diversion scheme eliminating the need for a costly diversion tunnel.

Villa Siga Hydroelectric Project
Also on Panay, the Villa Siga Hydroelectric Project, situated on the Paliuan River, includes a 13.7-meter-high concrete gravity dam, a 4,345-meter-long headrace tunnel, a 115-meter-high excavated surge shaft and a three-meter-diameter steel penstock. Under the due diligence program, the Team determined that the previous powerhouse arrangement, utilizing one horizontal and two vertical Francis units, was an unnecessary complication. The Team recommended three horizontal Francis units and prepared plans for a new transmission line to join the Panay grid.

Tagoloan Hydroelectric Project
Located on Mindanao Island, the Tagoloan Hydroelectric Project includes a 15.25-meter-high concrete gravity dam and a seven-and-a-half-mile long power tunnel. The underground powerhouse cavern is 38 meters long and 15.25 meters wide, with an 804-meter-long access tunnel. Sithe was concerned with the cost of constructing a long power tunnel for the 71-megawatt plant. Klohn Crippen reviewed both tunnel boring machine and the more conventional drill and blast construction, as well as possible cost savings of a surface versus underground powerhouse. The underground alternative proved less costly.

Kanan BI Hydroelectric
Klohn Crippen and the Province of Quezon worked closely with the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources to prepare an ambitious hydroelectric program for the Kanan River. With support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), KC reviewed previous studies, conducted several site visits and completed the Definition Phase design layout. The proposed plant, located on the Kanan River 60 kilometers east of Metropolitan Manila on Luzon, will provide 600-gigawatt hours of peak and off-peak energy to Metro Manila's electric system. The surface powerhouse will have a capacity of 136.5 megawatts. Klohn Crippen subsequently entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Province of Quezon for the development of the Kanan B1 Hydropower facility.

Dai Ninh Hydropower Project
Klohn Crippen, under CIDA funding to PRP, prepared a prefeasibility study for the Dai Ninh Hydropower Project. Located 260 kilometers northeast of Ho Chi Minh City in the upper Dong Nai basin, Dai Ninh would irrigate 20,000 acres and add 300 megawatts of capacity.

Following the initial study, a KC/PRP-led team prepared a detailed feasibility study of the site. The Team recommended a $650 million project, including two earth fill embankment dams, a connecting canal, four saddle dams, a spillway, an emergency spillway, a 9,977-meter tunnel, a 2,092-meter steel penstock and surface powerhouse and a proposed harnessing head of 649 meters to drive two vertical Pelton turbines with a combined output of 300 megawatts.