RIGOURS
—of the–
NORTH
Ledcor Foundations has been
doing deep foundation work
for oil and gas projects –
mostly in northern locations
and under challenging
conditions – for 10 years now
By Mark Halsall
Workers with Ledcor Foundations have been specializing
in deep foundation work for oil and
gas projects in northern Alberta and British
Columbia since 2006. One of the things they’ve
learned this past decade is that it takes a strong commitment
to work in remote locations in the north.
“It’s tough on the people being away from home and in a
work camp for 14 days straight. Not everybody wants to get
out of bed, get on a plane and go to work for two weeks, and
then only be back home for a week. It takes a commitment to
work in this sector,” said Jerrod Dersch, operations manager
for Ledcor Foundations.
Being cooped up in a work camp is even tougher when
you’re dealing with a northern winter.
“The weather can be severe. It’s hard on the guys; it’s hard on
the equipment. It’s just a really harsh environment,” said Dersch.
Ledcor Foundations has carved out a reputation for being
able to succeed despite challenging conditions. Dersch cites
the company’s Cabin Gas Plant Phase 2 project, a large pile
driving operation that took place in very remote area (about
100 kilometres north of Fort Nelson, B.C.) during the winter
of 2011-12, as a good example.
The project included the supply, delivery and installation
of 4,100 steel driven pile piles, which ranged in diameter from
168 to 406 millimetres (16.8 to 40.6 centimetres) and had
varying lengths from nine to 15 metres. Ledcor completed
the work for EnCana Corporation on budget and six weeks
ahead of schedule.
“Crews took charter planes into Fort Nelson and then they
were loaded into helicopters and choppered right into the
project site,” said Dersch. “That project was, I won’t say as far
34 Q3 2016 www.pilingcanada.ca
/www.pilingcanada.ca
/www.pilingcanada.ca
