Pacific Netting Products (PNP) has received an order from Canada’s Ontario Power Generation (OPG) for the supply of its MultiFunction Boom at four hydroelectric stations.
 
The company will manufacture and supply 6,100 feet of its patented booms to be installed in the head ponds and 140 feet of tailrace safety booms for installation at the 92-MW Caribou Falls, 68-MW Whitedog Falls, 73-MW Manitou Falls and 48-MW Silver Falls generating stations. The booms, which will replace existing (failed) plastic or steel booms and buoys, are designed to reduce surface debris flow into the intakes of the stations and to delineate dangerous water both upstream and downstream of the facilities for the general public.
 
The order, valued at US$2.1 million, is a record for PNP in terms of both the total length of boom to be ordered and the total number of facilities where booms are to be installed under a single contract.
 
“We are delighted to have won this contract, and grateful to OPG for the confidence they have placed in us,” said Andy Peters, director for business development at PNP. “This contract award underlines the confidence in quality and longevity of our booms and recognizes the benefits these all-weather booms bring to owner-operators.”
 
Stuart Olsen was awarded the contract for the removal/disposal of the existing booms/buoys and installation and commissioning of these all-season upstream safety and debris booms, the downstream (tailrace) fast water buoys and tailrace safety booms this month. Hatch Engineering will provide professional engineering services for the design of the equipment. Installation of the booms and buoys is scheduled to be completed in fall 2020.
 
PNP’s Multi-Function Booms are a patented modular boom system designed to be used in the head pond or tailrace of hydropower and dam facilities for debris, ice and fish guidance, demarcation, and public safety and security. With up to 1 million pounds of tensile strength and a variety of connection methods between boom sections, these fully customizable boom systems allow operators to specify the size, features, applications, results and performance that best meet their operational and financial objectives. PNP’s Multi-Function Booms are expected to have a service life of 50 years or more, with minimal maintenance requirements.