Ontario Power Generation

BINGHAM CHUTE STATION

PLANT GROUP: Small Hydro Division
DRAINAGE BASIN: Lake Huron
RIVER: French River
TRIBUTARY: South
NEAREST POPULATION CENTRE: Powassan (3 KM (2 Miles) Northeast)
IN SERVICE DATE:
UNIT 1 - December 2, 1923
UNIT 2 - March 31, 1924
BUILT BY: Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario, 1914
Asset Transferred to Ontario Power Generation: April 1, 1999
NUMBER OF UNITS: 2
CONTROL: Northbury

HISTORICAL NOTE:
The plant was named for the Bingham family, who lived nearby, and operated a grist mill in the 1890's in conjunction with the Day family.

The station was the second built on the South River, preceded by the Nipissing generating station located 3 km (2 miles) east of the village, for which it was named, in 1909.

Bingham Chute was originally built to relieve a power shortage caused by depletion of water storage areas.

The generators housed at Bingham Chute came from the Nipissing plant which had to be outfitted with higher capacity generators in 1923.