As 2020 keeps moving, so does our work at the Faraday Repower project. Since 2018 McMillen Jacobs has served as the CM/GC Contractor for Portland General Electric (PGE) completing risk assessments, dewatering plans, procurement of long-lead items, design analysis, and review of alternative methods. In recent months we have also completed the excavation efforts of the powerhouse and installed the cofferdam within the Clackamas River for protection of the powerhouse, all while construction activities were completed approximately 20’ below normal river water levels.
Major achievements for our team have included placing the first two sections of the 110” diameter penstocks that will be feeding the water supply to the new turbines and installing the bulkhead guides while awaiting the arrival of the custom fabricated bulkheads to place and test for in-place fitment and leakage.
On-site concrete work has begun, placement of the owner supplied equipment including the draft tube liner, cone and extension have been fully encased in concrete and have been welded out to begin the coating repairs within these components. Crews have been finalizing the foundation by using concrete to raise the structure elevation from 355’ to the desired 384’. With this nearing completion, we are entering the next phase of construction.
Our team is beginning the installation of the soldier pile walls as part of the new flood wall that is to be installed under this contract consisting of 55’ long I-Beams to be drilled and concreted 24’ into rock and secured with a concrete fill to the rock bed along the shoreline of the river.
We have also completed smaller tasks such as topping slab removal and replacement to the existing headgate structure, installation of a new drainage system at the base of the headgate structure as well as the backfilling of the hillside in preparation of the geocell slope protection that will support the new penstock supports.
As construction continues, we plan to execute soldier pile installation along the banks of the river, micro-pile installation at the base of the head-gate structure, and tailrace excavation in preparation for the cofferdam removal from the river. Along with that, we are working towards form, and placement of the penstock supports on the hillside and installation of the lower penstocks.
For information on previous work, please follow this link: https://mcmjac.com/news/project-update-faraday-repower-project/