B.C. Hydro is gearing up to start its Ladore Dam upgrading project next year, announcing Wednesday that it’s looking for a general contractor to lead the work.

The request for proposals to upgrade the dam — near McIvor Lake west of Campbell River — and to supply and install spillway gates closes Aug. 30.

A budget has not yet been announced but the project is expected to have an overall cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars. It requires regulatory and funding approvals.

The cost of the Ladore project will be part of B.C. Hydro’s filing with the B.C. Utilities Commission this spring.

Plans call for seismic upgrades to the spillway gates to ensure the system can safely pass water downstream in the case of a major earthquake or major flood.

B.C. Hydro spokesman Stephen Watson said Wednesday the project will improve the reliability of the spillway gate system, along with its power supply, control and telecommunications.

Once the upgrade is completed, Ladore Dam will meet dam safety guidelines, Watson said.

The Ladore Dam was built in 1949 and its powerhouse was finished in 1957. The concrete dam is about 38 metres tall and 95 metres long. Water from the Lower Campbell River reservoir enters a 520-metre-long tunnel through rock and flows to the powerhouse downstream.

Construction is expected to begin late next year, starting with site-preparation work, then moving to the spillway gates, where hoist system components will be replaced one at a time.

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