MWH Awarded Three Ohio Hydroelectric Projects

MWH, a global provider of environmental engineering, construction and strategic consulting services, announced that it has been selected by American Municipal Power-Ohio (AMP-Ohio) to serve as the Owner's Engineer for the design and construction of three new hydroelectric projects on the Ohio River.

All three facilities will be located at existing locks and dams and will have a combined generation capacity of 191 megawatts (MW).

"Our past work with MWH on the Belleville Hydroelectric Plant makes us confident that MWH is an excellent company to oversee these three projects.

They will help protect the interests of AMP-Ohio and ensure that these facilities are well engineered, safe and efficient," said Marc Gerken, PE, president and CEO of AMP-Ohio. MWH designed AMP-Ohio's Belleville Hydroelectric Plant, which produces 42 MW of energy and has been in operation since 1999.

As the Owner's Engineer, MWH will provide a range of multi-disciplinary services for the design and construction of the projects including: preliminary engineering, site surveying, geotechnical investigations, hydraulic model studies, turbine/generator procurement, detailed design and preparation of bid documents, bidding support, engineering services during construction and resident engineering services.

"These facilities will help AMP-Ohio keep up with growing energy demands in the region and, because all three facilities will be built at existing locks and dams, the environmental impact will be minimal," said Craig Harris, project manager at MWH.

The first project will be located on the West Virginia shore at the Willow Island locks and dam, approximately 42 miles upstream from the Belleville Plant. New facilities will include a two-unit powerhouse with an estimated generation capacity of 35 MW. This plant will produce approximately 195,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) annually.

The second project will be located at Cannelton locks and dam near Cannelton, Ind. The largest of the three projects, Cannelton will have a capacity of 84 MW. This three-unit plant is expected to generate an average of 390,000 MWh annually.

The third project will be located on the Kentucky shore at the existing Smithland locks and dam in Livingston County, Ky. Projected to be a three-unit, 72 MW plant, the Smithland project will generate an average of 340,000 MWh annually.

The use of conventional bulb turbine technology is planned for all three sites.