Omaha District leaders visit Fort Randall Dam to discuss multi-million-dollar construction contract

USACE Omaha
Published June 24, 2022
Members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District and the Voith group discuss their new collaboration project on the hydropower plant project at the Fort Randall Dam, South Dakota, June 7, 2022. The meeting allowed for discussion of the project and partnership, reviewing of outcomes from the pre-session survey, and identifying project key success factors, among other things. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Photo by Jason Colbert)

Members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District and the Voith group discuss their new collaboration project on the hydropower plant project at the Fort Randall Dam, South Dakota, June 7, 2022. The meeting allowed for discussion of the project and partnership, reviewing of outcomes from the pre-session survey, and identifying project key success factors, among other things. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Photo by Jason Colbert)

Members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District and the Voith group discuss their new collaboration project on the hydropower plant project at the Fort Randall Dam, South Dakota, June 7, 2022. The meeting allowed for discussion of the project and partnership, reviewing of outcomes from the pre-session survey, and identifying project key success factors, among other things. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Photo by Jason Colbert)

Members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District and the Voith group discuss their new collaboration project on the hydropower plant project at the Fort Randall Dam, South Dakota, June 7, 2022. The meeting allowed for discussion of the project and partnership, reviewing of outcomes from the pre-session survey, and identifying project key success factors, among other things. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Photo by Jason Colbert)

Members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District and the Voith group discuss their new collaboration project on the hydropower plant project at the Fort Randall Dam, South Dakota, June 7, 2022. The meeting allowed for discussion of the project and partnership, reviewing of outcomes from the pre-session survey, and identifying project key success factors, among other things. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Photo by Jason Colbert)

Members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District and the Voith group discuss their new collaboration project on the hydropower plant project at the Fort Randall Dam, South Dakota, June 7, 2022. The meeting allowed for discussion of the project and partnership, reviewing of outcomes from the pre-session survey, and identifying project key success factors, among other things. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Photo by Jason Colbert)

Members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District and the Voith group discuss their new collaboration project on the hydropower plant project at the Fort Randall Dam, South Dakota, June 7, 2022. The meeting allowed for discussion of the project and partnership, reviewing of outcomes from the pre-session survey, and identifying project key success factors, among other things. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Photo by Jason Colbert)

Members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District and the Voith group discuss their new collaboration project on the hydropower plant project at the Fort Randall Dam, South Dakota, June 7, 2022. The meeting allowed for discussion of the project and partnership, reviewing of outcomes from the pre-session survey, and identifying project key success factors, among other things. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Photo by Jason Colbert)

Members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District and the Voith group discuss their new collaboration project on the hydropower plant project at the Fort Randall Dam, South Dakota, June 7, 2022. The meeting allowed for discussion of the project and partnership, reviewing of outcomes from the pre-session survey, and identifying project key success factors, among other things. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Photo by Jason Colbert)

Members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District and the Voith group discuss their new collaboration project on the hydropower plant project at the Fort Randall Dam, South Dakota, June 7, 2022. The meeting allowed for discussion of the project and partnership, reviewing of outcomes from the pre-session survey, and identifying project key success factors, among other things. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Photo by Jason Colbert)

Since its completion in 1953, the hydropower plant at Fort Randall, South Dakota, has had multiple upgrades to increase the functionality of the dam – and recently, another project was given the green light. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in partnership with Voith Hydro North America, held a major unit rehabilitation partnering meeting to discuss a collaboration on the Ft. Randall hydropower plant project.

After two decades of planning, the USACE Omaha District finalized a contract for upgrades to the hydropower dam at Fort Randall. Leaders, project managers, and engineers from the District met with leadership from Voith to discuss the goals and expectations of the contract.

“It is vital for both teams to come together and understand what the project success factors are,” John Seifarth, Voith chief operating officer, said.

Voith has been contracted to manufacture and install eight new Francis turbine runners and generator stator rewinds for units one through eight at the Fort Randall Dam. When completed, the upgrades will allow the hydropower plant to increase its output to approximately 50 megawatts: up from 40 megawatts. To put that in perspective, according to the Electric Power Supply Association, on average, one megawatt of power generates enough electricity to meet the needs of 750 – 1000 U.S. homes.

“The opportunity to provide a high efficiency hydroelectric facility that is current to standards is vitally important to serve the nation,” Ted Streckfuss, Deputy District Engineer, Omaha District, said. “This meeting provides the foundation and the bedrock for a successful relationship that is going to take the better part of the decade to fully execute. We want to ensure that we get off on the right foot with the contactor.”

According to Streckfuss, all parties want to ensure that this $150 million construction contract is successful. For USACE success is pretty easy, a happy contractor and a happy government.

“It’s why we are here; to service the nation’s toughest engineering problems,” he added.

For the contractor success includes no safety issues, no on-site quality issues, schedule compliance and budget performance.

“We are very grateful for the project,” Seifarth said. “To perform this work in the U.S., using U.S. workers, steel, machines, and know-how – it’s an honor for us to participate.”

Contract work began in January 2022 with hydraulic design and model testing. The field installation work will begin once the first runner is manufactured and delivered to the site. The estimated completion date is December 2031.


News from around USACE

Commander praises employees for capitalizing on leadership development
9/19/2023
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Sept. 19, 2023) – Eighteen employees with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District graduated Sept. 13 from the first level of the Leadership Development Program during a...
Basketball lessons shape Maui emergency responder’s philosophy
9/19/2023 UPDATED
Destynee Hives-McCray, a mission specialist with the PPDRT on Maui supporting the federal response to the Aug. 8 Hawai’i wildfires, said playing Division I basketball taught her lessons to help her...
Division recognizes Flatt with ‘Ron Keeling Civil Works Programming Excellence Award’
9/18/2023
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Sept. 18, 2023) – A program manager in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District is being lauded by the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division for her work that led to $376...
‘Go Army, Beat Navy’: A Time-honored Rivalry Transformed into Integrated Partnership in Bahrain
9/16/2023 UPDATED
In a series of key leader engagements, U.S. Army Col. William C. Hannan, Jr., Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Division commander, visited Bahrain on Sept. 11, to fortify the already strong...