Four hydroelectric projects – Willow Island, Meldahl, Cannelton and Smithland – developed by American Municipal Power, Inc. (AMP) are currently under construction on the Ohio River and jointly comprise the largest new hydroelectric development in the United States. The projects entail the addition of large power plants adjacent to existing U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) locks and dams. Designs for all four powerhouses have been completed by MWH Americas, Inc. (MWH). The powerhouses at Willow Island and Meldahl will be founded on rock, and the powerhouses at Cannelton and Smithland will be founded on alluvial river deposits. This paper discusses the general layout of the four projects and presents the methodologies employed in the analysis and design of the cast-in-place reinforced concrete powerhouses, which are designed to be fully submerged during flood conditions. State-of-the-art computer programs and techniques utilized to model and structurally analyze and design the ten-story tall monolithic structures, which will house a combined total of eleven horizontal bulb-type turbine-generator units with runner diameters of 7.7 m are also discussed.
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