The first piece of turbine equipment has been installed at the Lake Red Rock Hydroelectric Project.

For almost a year and a half, construction work consisted of “deconstruction” or site preparation work. Temporary coffer dams and a dike were installed to allow work on dry ground, concrete retaining walls were poured, and more than 200,000 cubic yards of dirt and bedrock were excavated; all to prepare for the construction of a power house and water intake structure.

On December 1, the milestone was achieved when the steel draft tube liner for Unit 1 was set inside the powerhouse at the RRHP. The steel liner for Unit 1 was prefabricated in York, Penn., and shipped to the site in two halves, which were welded together at the site. The steel draft tube liner will direct water from the turbine to the concrete draft tube and back to the Des Moines River. RRHP will include two units, and the draft tube liner for Unit 2 was set on December 16.

Completion of work on the entire hydroelectric project is anticipated in late 2018.