transformer replacement project announced for el vado plant

The county of Los Alamos has issued a Request for Proposals for the replacement of a transformer at the El Vado Hydroelectric Plant.

That plant is located in the town of El Vado, just below the famous El Vado Dam, which was built in 1935 and impounds the large Rio Chama.

While the dam is owned by the Bureau of Reclamation, the 8-megawatt plant is owned by Los Alamos County, which built the facility in 1988.

Work on the plant transformer project will include removing the existing transformer, installing a new transformer with a required fast depressurization system, making all the necessary conductor connections, the removal and replacement of existing fencing and guard rails, and concrete removal and repair.

Earlier this year the Bureau of Reclamation awarded a nearly $17 million contract to the Roanoke, Virginia-based Carpi USA for a project designed to reduce seepage and erosion at the dam itself.
​
The RFP submission deadline for the hydroelectric plant transformer project is September 29.

​By Garry Boulard

---