The Bureau of Reclamation awarded a $5,531,000 contract on April 9 to Koontz Electric Co. Inc. of Morrilton, Ark., to replace the switchgear at Hungry Horse Dam. 

The project involves a replacement 2,400-volt station service distribution system, two replacement 480-volt station service distribution systems, two new 15-kilovolt disconnect switches and one 2,400-volt engine generator set. 

The work is expected to start around April 19 and be completed by Dec. 31, 2015. 

“This project is just one way Reclamation is working to maximize efficient and reliable power production for customers across a large area of the Northwest,” Facility Operations Manager Dennis Philmon said in a news release. 

“These repairs are essential so that the switchgear at Hungry Horse Dam maintains its reliability for years to come in serving the area extending from the Continental Divide westward to the Pacific Ocean.”   

Koontz Electric is a diversified heavy industrial electrical contractor and has been in business for over 50 years. 

In the last 10 years, Koontz completed over 500 projects exceeding $180 million. 

Hungry Horse Dam was completed in 1953. It is located on the South Fork of the Flathead River, 15 miles south of the west entrance to Glacier National Park and 20 miles northeast of Kalispell.

For more information on Hungry Horse Dam, go to www.usbr.gov/pn/hungryhorse/