The $900 million Waneta Expansion added a second powerhouse downstream from the Waneta Dam on the Pend Oreille River, near Trail, BC.
Construction took place between 2010 and 2015. IUOE Local 115 was pleased to play a big part in the job.
The owner of the project was a joint venture of Fortis Inc., Columbia Power and the Columbia Basin Trust. Like many other successful Operating Engineers projects over the decades, the Waneta Expansion was subject to a project labour agreement with the Allied Hydro Council of unions. Almost 70 per cent of the construction employees came from within 100 kilometres of the site, creating a legacy of skills, work experience and small business development for the Central Kootenay region.
The photos below were taken by IUOE Local 115 members in 2011 and 2012.
