TransAlta is still working to repair damage to two hydroelectric facilities along the Bow River after June’s floods.
But despite the operational limbo the Cascade facility in Banff National Park and Barrier facility in Kananaskis Country have been in for four months, the company does not expect to feel any financial effects.
In late October, chief financial officer Brett Gellner said TransAlta expects to recover the costs of repairs through insurance.
“Our team continues to safely and efficiently restore our operations at (two) of our hydro facilities we operate here in Alberta on the Bow River that continue to be impacted by flooding events,” Gellner said. “But it is our view we have adequate insurance coverage for this damage.”
He added even though the two facilities are not operational, it has not affected energy generation within the Bow River system of hydro stations, as they are part of a series of 11 units.
Cascade generates an average 52,000 megawatt hours each year, while Barrier generates an average of 40,000 megawatt hours each year.
“With these particular units, we can move the water from one to another and benefit from that water,” Gellner said.
The Cascade power plant was damaged during the June flood when TransAlta opened the Minnewanka spillway for the first time in the facility’s history. The water released backed up along the highway and ended up flooding a transformer.
Water flowed along the Cascade River for 27 days and at the height of the flood was at a rate of 80 to 100 cubic metres per second. Typically, the flow through a riparian valve of the dam is 0.3 cubic metres.
For the second time since the dam was built in 1941 the company opened the spillway again from Sept. 6-26.
At the time, officials said reservoir levels were high and with the Cascade power plant out of operation the release of water was necessary. As well, they indicated lower levels were needed to fix a tailrace below the spillway, which filled with debris during the flood.
Senior corporate relations advisor Stacey Hatcher said this week the company expects the Cascade plant to be back online within the next few weeks.
“As you know, Cascade suffered damages from the June flood and work on the plant had to be balanced with work being done on the spillway and, against controlled spills that were happening from the reservoir,” she said in an email.
