At Forming & Shoring Solutions, we strive to provide our clients with the best solutions for their project needs, including budget-conscious, creative materials and timely support to project requests.
When thinking about creativity, one notable project comes to mind. Our client, Peace River Hydro Partners (PRHP), a collaboration between ACCIONA Infrastructure Canada Inc., Samsung C&T Canada Ltd., and the Peace River Hydro Dam Site C, located in Fort St. John, British Columbia, contracted Forming & Shoring Solutions in 2017 to provide a cost-effective, timely, and reliable material supply solution for the Peace River Hydro Dam Site C.
About the Project
The Peace River Hydro Dam Site C is a hydroelectric generating system and the third system of its kind on the Peace River which stretches over 1800 miles from British Columbia to Alberta in northwest Canada.
This project began in 2015 with completion projected for 2025. The build has three main elements, the dam itself, two diversion tunnels, and a concrete foundation for the electric generating system. Our focus was on this last aspect of the project, an 800-meter roller compacted concrete foundation and buttress system.
Site C is projected to provide electricity to its region of British Columbia over the next century more efficiently than its predecessors by taking advantage of already stored water in a nearby reservoir.
Peace River Dam RCC Site
In addition, roller compacted concrete (RCC), such as the one used in this site application, is greener than traditional mass concrete pours. The introduction of fly ash into the concrete mix allows for lower moisture content and heat generation during the curing process. Time and cost savings are another benefit of this type of concrete placement.
These project efficiencies will allow the dam to generate 35% of the energy available with only 5% of reservoir utilization, powering more than a 500,000 Canadian households and businesses.
Meeting Project Needs with the Right Solutions
The RCC dam’s construction time and cost constraints called for a contemporary solution to traditional roller-compacted concrete applications, which is where Forming & Shoring Solutions came in.
Peace River Hydro Partners contracted with Forming & Shoring Solutions as its sole supplier of custom manufactured forming and shoring systems and components. At project completion, we supplied over $3 million in standard and customized product and over 40 truckloads in on-time cross-border trade since our contract start date in 2017.
Our team provided the perfect shoring and forming systems, including a unique waler design, manufacture of varying degrees splice plates, and use of push-pull braces to create a self-supporting formwork system. This innovative approach allowed for three tiers of working capability and access for every 30’ of concrete lift.
Tiered Work Level RCC Site
Supporting Cost and Time Savings
The system provided by our team created significant project time and cost savings—sought after by PRHP’s lead engineer.
Push-pull bracing and varying degrees of splice plate usage created tiered access and working space. These are placed inside joints of c-channel and act as walkway brackets to provide different access layers.
Sloped Tiered Work Level RCC Site
Push Pull Bracing RCC Site
The applications helped to accomplish reaching several pour milestones ahead of scheduled completion dates, such as the upper spillway buttress, which was placed seven months ahead of schedule. Additionally, these innovative techniques helped to achieve increased rates of annual concrete placement. PRHP increased their first year’s pour rate in 2017 to 2018 by 300%, followed by an average of 30% annually thereafter.
Our goal of supplying the best solutions through innovative systems tailored to our client’s needs was successful, and we are proud to be part of such impactful projects.