A worker peers beneath the massive transporter carrying BC Hydro's Unit 5 turbine as it negotiates the sharp curve at the head of the Westside Road bridge over the Jordan River. Dusty Veideman photo courtesy of BC Hydro
BC Hydro’s 188-ton turbine completed its 12,000-kilometre journey here from Brazil by threading the eye of a needle — the 100-metre-long tunnel carved through the canyon wall to the entrance of the Revelstoke Generating Station.
“The transport of the Revelstoke Unit 5 turbine took over a year to plan” Ken McKenzie, BC Hydro’s project director, said in a statement today. “The weight and size of the 188-ton turbine made it a challenge to move and there were a number of obstacles to overcome including navigating sections of rapids on the Columbia River downstream from Trail and transporting the turbine through the approximately 100 metre-long tunnel through the canyon wall along the access road to the Revelstoke Generating Station powerhouse.”
The following photos show the last stages of the turbine’s odyssey.
The transporter carrying the Unit 5 turbine reaches Big Eddy Road and moves towards the Highway 23S intersection with the Trans-Canada Highway and its final destination: the Revelstoke Dam in this photo taken from a cherry-picker by local resident Jim Sharp. Photo courtesy of Jim SharpHere's a view of the turbine and its 128-wheel transport crossing the Jordan River. Dusty Veideman photo courtesy of BC HydroFinally unloaded from the transporter, the turbine is carefully carried through the 100-metre-long tunnel that leads to the Revelstoke Dam. Dusty Veideman photo courtesy of BC HydroThe truck carrying the turbine emerges from the tunnel. Dusty Veideman photo courtesy of BC HydroThe Unit 5 turbine is welcomed to its new home at the Revelstoke Dam generating station. Dusty Veideman photo courtesy of BC Hydro
