Site C penstock pipes completed

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – The final segment of the last penstock unit was installed in the Site C Dam on June 29th 2022, according to a tweet from the project’s official account.

“The final segment for the last penstock unit was placed into the powerhouse,” the post read. “We’ve pieced more than 90 segments together to form 6 penstock units, each 10 m in diameter and 80 m in length.”

The last piece of the massive steel pipe was installed into the powerhouse in the sixth and final penstock unit.

Penstock units are enormous tubes that channel water from the reservoir to the powerhouse. Once there, the pressure of falling water spins turbines that generate electricity that the $16 billion dam has promised for generations.

The segments are welded together at the dam site and positioned using an enormous specialized tower crane–one of only four of its kind in the world, according to a BC Hydro fact sheet.

Delivery of the segments began in April, 2019 and occurred overnight to minimize impact to local roads and traffic. The creation of the penstock segments took place locally at a fabrication shop in Fort St. John from Canadian steel.

The final penstock units were delivered over the course of June, 2022.

The final segment for the last penstock unit was placed into the powerhouse. We’ve pieced more than 90 segments together to form 6 penstock units, each 10 m in diameter and 80 m in length. These large steel pipes will channel the flow of water into the #SiteC generating station. pic.twitter.com/q3O30jeaXR

— sitecproject (@sitecproject) June 29, 2022