BAUER Foundations Canada Inc. was contracted by Kiewit Management to construct 120 foundation piles for the third Stage Pump houses. The project is located at Mildred Lake, approximately 40 km north of Fort McMurray and is part of Syncrude Mildred Lake Mine Replacement (MLMR). BAUER BG 40 and BAUER BG 28 rotary piling rigs were utilized to install the bored piles. The platform for the working area was prepared and maintained by the client (Kiewit) to meet BFCA standards and ensure the stability of the drilling rigs.

Piles were mostly 31m to 33m in depth with diameters 750 mm to 880 mm. All piles were partially cased 24m to 28m, to a maximum of 32m below pile cut-off.

A unique feature of piling on this particular site was drilling through a very fine-grained coke fill layer. This mandated fitting BFCA frontend crews with special respirators to avoid exposure to hazardous coke dust. Special measures were also implemented for stockpiling and disposal of coke material. Bauer Foundations Canada also had to accommodate other operations running simultaneously during piling such as pipe trenching and installation, earthworks and other concrete works. Advance planning and daily production, mitigated the potential safety hazards associated with the restricted work space.

Despite these challenges, Bauer Foundations Canada crews in coordination with the client, managed to complete the project safely, on time, meeting the client’s specifications and quality targets.