Fort St John – AFDE

Project Overview

T BAILEY was contracted by Aecon-Flatiron-Dragados-EBC Partnership (AFDE) to supply to Spillway and Tailrace Piles for the Generating Station and Spillways Civil Works for the Site C Clean Energy Project in Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada. Valued at $1.6 billion, it’s one of the largest contracts awarded for the hydroelectric dam and generating station being built on the Peace River.

Part of the project involved manufacturing steel sections for the $16 billion Site C hydroelectric dam on the Peace River — a vital task that was subcontracted to T BAILEY, INC.

T BAILEY, INC. was contracted to manufacture sections for the spillway and tailrace piles. The company fabricated 264 sections that were 26’-3” to 52’-6” long for a total of 11,635 lineal feet. These pile welds were done via subarc welding and were 100% ultrasonically tested. T BAILEY, INC then rolled and welded 1,248 individual cans and welded 984 round seams. Once fabrication was complete, the company visually examined and quality-controlled all pile sections for length, straightness, and ovality.

T BAILEY, INC. made all the components in-house at their 125,000-square-foot fabrication shop in Anacortes, WA, inside their state-of-the-art dry facility. Here they have easy access to cranes, tools, and diagnostics, giving them the capacity to make and test a wide variety of heavy steel products.

Construction Challenges

All forms of steel construction are challenging, particularly when they are for a project of this size and nature. In total, T. BAILEY, INC. fabricated more than 11,000 feet of pilings — 11,635.5 lineal feet to be exact. That’s the equivalent of just over 2.2 miles (or 3.55 km) of piles!

In essence, T. BAILEY, INC. had to cut the plate, bevel it, roll it up, and then weld it into finished lengths. Once welded, the completed piles were between 118 and 151 feet long.

But, of course, there are stringent quality control measures at every stage to ensure that the workmanship meets AWS standards. Final testing involved an ultrasonic test to ensure the weld quality of the finished piles. This non-destructive testing technique detects and locates any significant discontinuities such as pits, cracks, splits, and so on.

But these are elements that T. BAILEY, INC. excels in. Rather, the biggest challenge was an aggressive schedule. It wasn’t so much what had to be done, but rather the volumes that needed to be achieved. Additionally, getting trucks in and out of the site within the required time frames was a huge challenge.

While fabrication was made easier thanks to T BAILEY, INC.’s state-of-the-art facility in Anacortes, the project did not end there. Each one of the sections had to be shipped to Fort St. John. The sheer number of trucks necessary to ship these sections on time was one of the company’s biggest challenges. T BAILEY, INC. started shipping at the end of August 2021 and completed the delivery of all sections by June 2022. The company worked with multiple trucking firms to meet their client’s deadlines. Once on-site, the client field welded the sections into 96 full-length piles. The full-length piles ranged from 118’ to 151’ long.

Our Services At Work

Just like our work on the Fort St John – AFDE Project, T BAILEY, INC. has solid foundations. Our underpinning track record of excellence and reliability is grounded in our commitment to producing the highest quality fabrications delivered on time. Call today to find out how we can help you actualize your project.