Quanta Services, Inc. (NYSE: PWR) today announced that Valard Construction, a Quanta Services company, was selected to install transmission infrastructure in Labrador, Canada, for Nalcor Energy’s Muskrat Falls Project. Under the terms of the contract, Valard will install two separate and parallel 315-kilovolt alternating current (AC) transmission lines, each 250 kilometres in length, or a total of approximately 500 kilometres. The two transmission lines will connect Nalcor Energy’s 824 megawatt (MW) Muskrat Falls hydroelectric generating facility currently under construction with an existing 5,428 MW hydroelectric facility and electricity infrastructure in Churchill Falls.
“Valard presented the best-value proposal to Nalcor Energy for the AC transmission line construction,” said Gilbert Bennett, vice president, Nalcor Energy Lower Churchill Project. “We are confident in their capability to undertake this work, backed by their strong track record of delivering large projects in Canada."
Quanta anticipates construction of the Muskrat Falls transmission project will begin soon and expects the project to be completed in the spring of 2016. Valard has been awarded all construction aspects of the project, including foundation installation, tower assembly and erection and conductor stringing.
“Once completed, the Muskrat Falls Project, including the associated transmission lines, will deliver a reliable and clean supply of electricity to the island of Newfoundland and will facilitate the delivery of electricity to markets in the Maritime Provinces and Northeastern United States,” said Jim O’Neil, president and chief executive officer of Quanta Services. “Through Valard Construction and our other electrical infrastructure operating units, Quanta brings a history of safe execution, exceptional scope and scale and financial resources to efficiently construct complex energy infrastructure projects for our customers.”
“Valard has constructed a number of Canada’s largest and most critical transmission lines, and we appreciate Nalcor Energy’s confidence in our ability to safely execute on this complicated project,” said Adam Budzinski, president of Valard Construction. “Valard brings a large, nation-wide skilled labor resource pool and track record of success to this project, which is important considering these lines will be built in remote areas in harsh weather conditions.”