Canyon Creek pumped hydro energy storage

The project included two earth-filled embankment reservoirs, a 7 km penstock pipe, a powerhouse equipped with three vertical Pelton units and a separate pump house with four horizontal pumps. It also included associated balance of plant (BoP) and a substation interconnected to the AltaLink network in Hinton, Alberta.

BBA assisted with value engineering and optimization, preliminary hydraulic analysis (head loss and transient), detailed design initiation, environmental permitting and compliance monitoring, scope interface definition with equipment supplier and cost estimate support.

By working closely with AECON, BBA also resolved a critical flaw in the reference design hydraulics, eliminating the need for a transient pressure management facility and reducing the length of the penstock. Our team also significantly reduced operational risks for the owner by removing large pressure release valves and increased cost certainty through clear definition of the water-to-wire supplier scope.