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There are strong signs that power markets are recovering with improved financial forecasts into the next four years. The US market is leading this trend, which will have a direct positive impact on the Canadian market. Similar growth is visible in Asia and the Middle East where we are quite active with ongoing projects and new market development.
As predicted last autumn, our relationship with Hatch continues to open doors for new growth – particularly for our hydro and energy businesses. And we continue building excellent relationships with our own list of longstanding clients.
But this is just the tip of the iceberg. There is a growing level of activity across the entire organization – including much success in new business development. The merger with Hatch enables us to focus on our key strength of engineering for the power and energy industries. With an exceptional portfolio of projects worldwide, plus Hatch’s global resource base at our disposal, we are in a position to move our reputation for leadership and innovation into new markets around the world.
Our teams won an extensive list of new business in the past six months and our backlog of work is currently at an all-time peak.
Artist's concept of General Dynamics Support Building for Maritime Helicopter Project |
Recent highlights from SGE Acres on the east coast include the design, construction and commissioning work for the Halifax Regional Municipality on a biosolids processing facility with an initial capacity of 10,500 dry tonnes/year. The New Brunswick team was awarded several municipal road and bridge projects in Moncton. Following preliminary design of a 40,000-square-foot support center for the Millbrook First Nation, detailed definition has now begun for the facility which will include offices and laboratory space. This high-tech building will house support services for the Maritime Helicopter Project that will supply 28 new helicopters to replace the aging fleet of Sea Kings at CFB Shearwater. |
In central Canada, construction quality monitoring services have begun for Brascan Power on a replacement embankment dam near Wawa, Ontario. We’ve also been retained by La Compagnie Hydroélectrique Manicouagan of Baie Comeau to carry out engineering, procurement, construction management and commissioning for the 69-kV switchyard upgrade project at McCormick Dam. And we signed an Engineering Services Contract with La Régionale Énergie Inc. for the Angliers hydroelectric project in northwest Quebec – providing design and construction support for a new 25-MW, 4-unit pit turbine powerhouse, spillway and associated structures.
Latest projects in the western region include a new Master Services Agreement with Manitoba Hydro to provide its Generation Planning Department with engineering planning assistance for new generation projects until March of 2010. Precommitment studies for the Conawapa generating station are the first projects under the MSA. We’re providing project management and engineering services to upgrade Unit #1 of the Lois Generating Station in southern British Columbia, owned by Powell River Energy Inc. We are also involved in engineering, procurement and construction of the tail gas treating unit and sulfur recovery plant for Canadian Natural Resources Limited’s Horizon synthetic crude oil development, 70 km north of Fort McMurray, Alberta.
Acres is also busy with a variety of new projects across North America. The next phase of AAR-related work is under way for the Tennessee Valley Authority to assess the structural behavior of Chickamauga Dam. We are conducting a conceptual/prefeasibility study for small hydro power plants in Mexico, as well as carrying out numerous assignments for the US Bureau of Reclamation and the New York Power Authority.
 Dez Dam, Iran |
We continue to be active in major overseas projects as well. Further work has begun on the Dez Dam rehabilitation project for the Khuzestan Water and Power Authority, and we continue our heavy involvement with the massive Karun III project in Iran, as discussed in this edition’s feature. We are also providing a conceptual design study for the 74-MW Xacbal hydroelectric project in Guatemala. In 2004, our subsidiary company Synexus Global installed a number of major decision-support systems throughout North America, while work is currently under way for clients such as Seattle City Light, KWPA, GE Hydro, Manitoba Hydro and PacifiCorp. We are excited about the prospects for Synexus in 2005 including several new opportunities in India, Italy and the US. As the number of successful Vista and HydroVantage installations increases, so too does the industry’s appreciation for the profit potential of more efficient management of water resources. |
When I look at Acres, I see a strong sense of entrepreneurship rarely found in organizations of this size. But it’s no surprise, because our people have always been incredibly dedicated to developing their businesses, investing in human resources and technology, and finding new ways to approach every engineering challenge our customers face. The recognition received in 2004 was an appreciated sign that we’ve been doing something right. And we took it as a sign that we can do even better. Last year, we built up steam. This year, we’ll use it to aggressively pursue more new business. It is a very exciting time to be part of the Acres team, and I look forward to sharing more updates with you in the future. |