Kemano penstock tunnel
Quick Summary
The Kemano penstock tunnel is a 14-mile (22.5 km) tunnel in British Columbia, Canada, that was left unlined. This engineering choice, made to save on initial construction costs, led to significant issues. In 1961, progressive rockfalls within the tunnel caused a nine-month shutdown of the entire town of Kitimat, as the tunnel supplied electricity to the local aluminum smelter. This event highlighted the compromise between initial savings and the potential consequences of deferred maintenance and tunnel shutdowns. The tunnel is part of a larger project involving the Nechako River, where Kenney Dam created a reservoir whose overflow is tunneled westward to Kemano to generate electricity.12
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