James Bay Hydro Complex

No list of Bechtel megaprojects would be complete without the James Bay Hydroelectric project—one of the largest undertakings ever mounted. Appropriately named La Grande, this $13.8 billion project harnessed the power of three river basins and the upper catchment of two other rivers in an area of northwestern Quebec that is larger than the state of New York. With a capacity to generate a whopping 10,300 megawatts of electricity, the complex has been instrumental in fueling the economic growth of the province.

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By diverting several rivers, Bechtel engineers were able to nearly double the watershed’s power potential. The project required 203 million cubic yards of fill, 138,000 tons of steel, 550,000 tons of cement, nearly 70,000 tons of explosives, and an enormous amount of determination. As many as 12,000 workers built 215 dikes and dams and constructed four powerhouses. Getting the generated power south to Quebec and Montreal required building a 3,000-mile network of 735-kilovolt transmission lines.

Management and technical services were provided by the SEBJ joint venture, a fully integrated team including owner Hydro-Quebec and Bechtel. More than 400 construction contracts were awarded and the value of work managed by Bechtel as part of the integrated team was estimated at $5.8 billion. The effective integrated project management organization enabled the entire project to be completed at a cost of $400 million below the official budget, with most key elements of the construction program completed on or ahead of schedule.