CLIENT: Wildstone Construction Group
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
PRI Engineering provided issued-for-construction foundation design and pre-production field investigation services, including Quality Control/Quality Assurance (QC/QA) testing, for a 5.2 MW DC solar project in Anahim Lake, BC. The scope included subsurface investigation, pre-production foundation testing, and full foundation design. Deliverables included a Geotechnical Investigation Report, a Foundation Design Report, an issued-for-construction groundscrew foundation design, and a General Conformance Letter.
CHALLENGE:
Anahim Lake’s remote location in BC’s interior, combined with corrosive soil conditions identified during investigation, presented meaningful durability and design challenges. Selecting and validating a foundation system capable of supporting the solar structure over the long term — while accounting for soil aggressiveness and the logistical demands of a remote site — required a thorough and well-executed field program.
APPROACH:
PRI advanced 50 groundscrew probes to characterize subsurface conditions across the site. Twelve helical foundations were installed with associated axial and lateral pre-production load tests to evaluate foundation performance and inform design decisions. Corrosion protection measures were recommended based on the corrosive soil findings, along with specific pile strength and embedment depth requirements. Groundscrew foundations were identified as the preferred system to support the structure. Production mechanical testing was then completed on 37 foundations — 21 axial and 16 lateral — to verify design compliance and meet QC/QA requirements.
OUTCOME:
PRI delivered a complete issued-for-construction foundation design package tailored to the site’s remote setting and challenging soil conditions, including a groundscrew foundation design and General Conformance Letter. The extensive production testing program provided strong assurance of foundation performance and set the project up for a confident construction phase.