Sixth and final turbine arrives at Mica Generating Station
BC Hydro's newest turbine arrived at Mica Generating Station on October 20, 2013, after being transported by barge down the 200-kilometre-long Kinbasket Reservoir.
The stainless steel turbine is 6.45 metres in diameter and weighs 137.5 tonnes – the equivalent weight of four humpback whales.
Mica was originally designed to hold six generating units, but only four were installed when the station was constructed in the 1970s. BC Hydro is now working to add two new generating units at Mica that will provide an additional 1,000 megawatts of capacity to the system. The new turbine will power the sixth generating unit currently under construction.
Andritz Hydro manufactured the turbine in Germany, and it was transported over 13,000 kilometres by sea, road and barge before arriving at Mica Generating Station this week. The turbine for the fifth generating unit was delivered following the same route in June 2013.
