Another milestone was reached this week at the Red Rock Hydroelectric Project. According to Missouri River Energy services, Ames Construction crews successfully cored through the Red Rock Dam. Coring was done to prepare for installation of a penstock, a conduit which will bring water from the intake structure located in Lake Red Rock into the powerhouse, where the turbines will produce electricity. Workers next will continue the upstream penstock through the dam by placing rebar and forms around the hole for the placement of concrete. Prior to coring through the dam, the penstock from the intake structure to the existing concrete section of the dam had to be constructed and tested to prove to be water tight. Additionally, the gate that isolates the water from the reservoir from the penstock had to be installed and tested to prove that no water could enter during final construction. The opening of the penstock within the intake structure that the gate covers is 18’ wide by 21’ high. When complete, the Red Rock Hydroelectric Project will include two generating units. Once water is delivered to the turbine in
the powerhouse sometime next spring, commissioning and testing of the Unit 2 turbine/generator will begin. During this period, the plant will be manned around the clock..
Following that test period, Unit 2 could be ready for commercial operation around the first of June. During and after this period, similar work will be completed for Unit 1 of the plant. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hydrology Department will continue to be responsible for scheduling water releases from the Dam into the river as it has been for the past 50 years. These releases could be directed through the existing gates on the Dam, through the new hydroelectric facility, or through a combination of these depending on the reservoir elevation and desired flow release. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license allows for the generation of 36.4 megawatts of electricity. Once fully operational, the project will be able to generate enough power to satisfy the electrical needs for all the homes in Marion County.