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The Chenaux Generating Station on the Ottawa River in Ontario, Canada, uses the river’s current to generate electricity to power nearly 150,000 homes on the grid.

When the time came for line replacement at the station, O.D.S. Marine’s 36 years of experience made the Ottawa, Ontario, company the right choice to devise the best way to get powerline workers access to the first line tower, which is located in the water. They provided a time-saving and cost-effective solution using stick boom equipment to safely run new powerlines from a barge.

Challenging Access         

“The tower’s lines reached 130-ft (39.6-m) above of the waterline, which made it difficult for the workers to access,” recalls Nathan Russell, sales representative for Ontario Rental and Supply (ORS) of Ottawa, Ontario, an equipment distributor that rents Genie^® aerial work platforms. “It was extremely challenging for workers and the necessary maintenance equipment to get to line height, since safety standards are so stringent on dam projects.”

O.D.S. Marine’s options ranged from the expensive, such as a helicopter or crane plus man basket for access, to the entirely manual of workers climbing the tower, but that would take extra time and labor, plus it would increase risk to the workers.

Jim Freeth, general manager for O.D.S. Marine, considered another option: the use of a stick boom positioned on a sectional barge to offer access to the tower. “Knowing the working height requirements and that the machine would be positioned on a barge, we recommended the Genie SX™-180 telescopic boom, which offers a 180-ft (54.9-m) maximum platform height and maximum horizontal reach of 80 ft (24.4 m),” recalls Russell.

Ahead of Schedule

With all the calculations complete and necessary paperwork in place, O.D.S. Marine connected four barge sections to achieve the dimensions for accommodating the Genie SX-180 boom. The machine was secured to the barge deck using the tie-downs, and the barge and boom were anchored just off the edge of the jetty stone island to steady the barge and boom during operation.

The tower crew needed a variety of work tools and equipment during this operation. “Among other equipment, the Genie SX-180 boom moved new insulators, swaging equipment, line pull equipment and pulley blocks,” recalls Rule. Stephane Riggi, Genie regional sales manager, Terex AWP, adds, “The Genie SX-180 boom includes a standard 8-ft (2.4-m) platform and a lift capacity of 750 lb (340 kg), so it easily accommodates two workers plus work equipment.”

O.D.S. Marine’s plan to use the Genie SX-180 telescopic boom saved significant time and money for all parties involved. Rule explains that the project was estimated to take three weeks to finish, but was completed in two.