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Greenup hydroelectric recovery costs near $185,000 after stop-log stuck; city seeks emergency procurement waiver
Summary
Utility operations staff described an emergency retrieval and repair at the Greenup hydroelectric facility after a stop log became stuck March 17; staff reported nearly $185,000 in recovery costs and said they used contractors and waived competitive bidding because of the emergency.
Bill Hudson, director of utility operations, briefed council May 14 on an emergency incident at the Greenup hydroelectric generating facility in which a large stop log became stuck in its slot while staff were lowering it on March 17. Hudson described the stop log as 15 feet high and 40 feet long and said the stuck log required a multi-day recovery using heavy lifting equipment and specialty rigging. "When this happened, the retrieval cost, you see almost $185,000 to get this issues resolved," Hudson said.
Hudson said the stuck log had become hung on one side and a crane safety hook came unlatched, which required an engineered retrieval plan. The recovery used large-capacity air hoists, compressors, 50-ton shackles and a professional structural engineer, and Hudson credited the maintenance supervisor for developing the recovery plan. Retrieval was completed by March 20, Hudson said. The lifting-beam sustained damage during recovery and required repair, inspection and an engineering stamp before it could be returned to service; the beam was stress-tested and certified for use.
Hudson said contractors were used under an emergency procurement process and that staff sought a waiver of standard bidding requirements to complete the work promptly. He said the Greenup facility, originally commissioned around 1982, requires ongoing capital attention and that some original equipment manufacturers are no longer available, complicating procurement.
Why this matters: The incident interrupted normal maintenance capability at the hydro facility because the lifting beam required certification before staff could move other stop logs for unit maintenance. Hudson said the work is complete and the beam has been used since for maintenance, but the near-$185,000 cost will be part of the utility’s capital and operations record.
Council did not vote immediately on procurement policy changes during the presentation, though staff said they had used emergency contracting to expedite the repair.
