22 November 2007 - Alstom Hydro in Canada has been awarded a contract valued at more than $80m the US Army Corps of Engineers for the refurbishment of ten Francis turbines at the Chief Joseph hydropower plant situated on the Columbia River near Bridgeport, in the state of Washington, USA.

The scope of work includes the engineering, model test, manufacturing, site installation and commissioning of ten new runners of 3.8 meters in diameter. Refurbishment will bring up the turbines' output from the present 71 MW to 88 MW each, an increase of 20 per cent.

Engineering is already under way at the company's division in Sorel-Tracy, Canada, with the project scheduled for completion in 2013. Manufacturing of these turbines will be carried out at the Sorel-Tracy factory.

"We are particularly proud to serve once again a client like the US Army Corps of Engineers with whom we have a longstanding working relationship", says Claude Lambert, President and Chief Executive Officer of Alstom Hydro USA. "This contract is a confirmation that Alstom Hydro's technical solutions meet the expectations of its client."

Alstom Hydro is a joint venture between Alstom and Bouygues.