5 October, 2020

Locweld Awarded Major Contract to Manufacture Steel Transmission Towers

Hydro-Québec’s new 735 kV Micoua-Saguenay line

CANDIAC, QC, Oct. 5, 2020 /CNW/ – Locweld has been awarded a major contract by Hydro-Québec for the new Micoua-Saguenay 735 kV transmission line. Locweld, situated in Candiac, Québec, will require almost 20,000 tons of steel to manufacture the lattice transmission structures ordered by the Crown corporation. Production has started and will continue through February 2022. The value of the contract is close to $50 million.

“We have a long-standing relationship with Hydro-Québec, and are pleased with their confidence in Locweld,” said Pierre Lavoie, President of Locweld. “This important contract, in addition to securing the 144 jobs at our plant, will allow us to create more jobs – dozens – while generating significant economic benefits for our own suppliers.”

This contract award demonstrates the success of the recent collaboration between Locweld and Valmont^MD Utility, a division of the American multinational Valmont^MD Industries, a manufacturer and distributor of infrastructure products and services. The exclusive relationship with Valmont since December 2019 allows Locweld to increase its total annual production capacity to 90,000 tons, and to increase its competitive advantage.

“Alongside the contract that Hydro-Québec has just entrusted to us, and all others in our current order book, the Locweld/Valmont team easily has the capacity to take on new orders in the Canadian and US markets,” says Deanne Cyr, Locweld’s Vice President of Sales and Estimation.

Strong ties with Hydro-Québec

Hydro-Québec’s ties to Locweld date back to 1970, following Locweld’s construction of a 220,000-square-foot plant in Candiac. Locweld has been involved in a number of major Hydro-Québec projects that have marked the province in the last 50 years. The company worked extensively to restore the steel structures that were destroyed during the Great Ice Storm in 1998.

The 735 kV Micoua-Saguenay transmission line extends for roughly 262 km between the Micoua substation in the Côte-Nord region and the Saguenay substation in the Saguenay – Lac-Saint-Jean region. The new transmission line will help to maintain the reliability of Hydro-Québec’s transmission system. Reduced consumption in the Côte-Nord region and the shutdown of several thermal and nuclear generating stations in southern Québec have resulted in increased power flow along the lines in the Manic–Québec corridor towards the major load centers, making the new line necessary. The commissioning of the new line is scheduled for 2022.

About Locweld

Since 1947, Locweld is the North American industry leader in the fabrication of steel lattice transmission towers. Recognized for its technical expertise in engineering and design solutions, Locweld is an active participant of the ASCE10-Design of Steel Transmission Towers Standards Committee of the Codes and Standards Activities Division of the Structural Engineering Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers. For more information, visit locweld.com.

SOURCE Locweld