The Role of Rock Engineering in Hydroelectric Scheme from Design to Operation
Channel: Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum
Date: 2024-03-18

Dr. Marco Quirion, PhD, ing., Hydro-Québec, Montréal, Québec, Canada
 
Hydro-Quebec owns and operates more than 60 hydroelectric powerhouses and out of this number, 8 are excavated underground. From 600 dams owned by Hydro-Québec, 190 are categorized as “large” dams under the ICOLD definition. The construction of all these hydroelectric schemes required large volume of rock excavations: Powerhouse caverns, surface powerhouse enclosure, spillway tailrace channels, unlined intake tunnels, access roads, to name a few. Also, for many sites, high natural rock slopes are present in the vicinity of the installations. These plants were built over many decades, going from the early 1930s up to the present day. Rock engineering is always present in the lifecycle of these hydroelectric schemes from the design phases, through construction, commissioning, and their safe operation. The goal of this webinar is to share Hydro-Quebec’s experience on the different aspects of rock engineering in the context of hydropower.

Short-Bio 
Marco is a geological engineer with over 25 years of experience in rock engineering in the field of hydropower. He holds degrees in Geological Engineering from Université Laval and a PhD in Civil Engineering from the Université de Sherbrooke. From 2000 to 2005, Marco worked at Roctest Ltd. in geotechnical instrumentation before joining Hydro-Québec as a geological engineer specialized in rock mechanics. Marco is involved in the engineering of new hydroelectric schemes as well as in several studies of the behaviour of existing facilities presenting issues related to rock masses. He is a member of the ISRM Rock Grouting Committee and active in several evaluation committees for NSERC.