Guest Post by James L. Gordon, P.Eng. (Retired)
There have been two recent incidents at Muskrat which indicate that there is an inadequate
quality control process at the construction site.
The first was the announcement by Andritz, the spillway gate contractor, that they were suing NALCOR and Astaldi. The contractor cited changes in the schedule by NALCOR and errors by Astaldi in their work on the spillway concrete, as stated on the CBC news on May 25. The second, and far more serious incident, was the collapse of a concrete form in the powerhouse on May 30.
The first was the announcement by Andritz, the spillway gate contractor, that they were suing NALCOR and Astaldi. The contractor cited changes in the schedule by NALCOR and errors by Astaldi in their work on the spillway concrete, as stated on the CBC news on May 25. The second, and far more serious incident, was the collapse of a concrete form in the powerhouse on May 30.
To comment on
the Andritz situation first: Andritz base their claim on two factors, the delay
in the schedule, and defective work by Astaldi. Their claim states “However, by
the first half of 2014 it was obvious to Muskrat and Andritz that the civil
works performed by Astaldi were delayed,". The construction delays are
well known, but their impact on Andritz required “(an) aggressive and in
Andritz's view, likely unattainable on Muskrat's stated budget."
