Ontario Power Generation
HOUND CHUTE GENERATING STATION
PLANT GROUP: Northeast Plant Group
DRAINAGE BASIN: Ottawa River
RIVER: Montreal
NEAREST POPULATION CENTRE: Cobalt (9.6 KM (6 Miles) North)
IN SERVICE DATE: Unit 1, 2 - December 2010
ORIGINAL IN SERVICE DATE: Unit 1-3, 1910. Unit 4 – 1911.
ACQUIRED BY HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER COMMISSION OF ONTARIO: November 30, 1944
FROM: Northern Ontario Power Company
Asset Transferred to Ontario Power Generation: April 1, 1999
NUMBER OF UNITS: 2: Vertical, double regulated Kaplan type, axial flow, 3.1M
CONTROL: Remote from North East Control Centre (Timmins)
POWERHOUSE: The powerhouse is 31 m (102 ft) long by 18 m (59 ft) wide and approximately 15 m (49 ft) in height. The building is founded on solid rock with a pre-engineered, structural steel, insulated superstructure. The powerhouse is equipped with a 3 axis, dual hoist, 5/50tonne overhead crane.
INTAKE: The concrete intake is integral with the powerhouse and equipped with individual trashracks for each unit. Dedicated 2 piece headgates are operated by an enclosed cable hoist. Sectional headgates are provided to fit in the trashrack openings.
CANAL: The dam diverts the river through a 550 m (1,800 ft) canal excavated along the east bank of the river, directly to the trashracks and headgates.
DAM(S): In 1972, Lady Evelyn dam replaced the Matawapika dam. This dam consists of four sluices with sluices 2 and 3 with double stoplog gains so underwater flow is possible. The dam construction has an operating range of 5.1 m (16.7 ft) and a capacity of 3620 cms (127,838 cfs) days.
The stoplogs are removed/replaced by a power operated spud winch.
The Bay Lake dam at Latchford is owned and controlled by the Federal Government which operates it for the benefit of the power stations except during the navigational season.
Associated with Hound Chute generating station is an automated, 2 piece weir supplied by Obermeyer Hydro (USA). This automated weir has a dedicated blowerhouse and control building accessed via the powerhouse inlet deck.
SITE: The Hound Chute falls is 9.7 km (6 miles) below Gillies' Depot on the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway and 6.4 km (4 miles) from the centre of mining activity.
The Montreal River has its headwaters on the heights of land between Hudson Bay and the St. Lawrence River, 381 m (1,250 ft) above sea level. The length of the river is about 282 km (175 miles) with a drainage area tributary to Hound Chute of approximately 71 225 km2 (2,750 miles2). The headwaters include Shining Tree, Sams, Pigeon and Duncan Lakes and the larger tributaries are Montreal River, east branch, with Smooth Water Lake, Bear River with Bear Lake, the Matawapike with Lady Evelyn, and Diamond Lakes and part of Temagami Lake and as a tributary to the Matawapike, Lady Evelyn River with Lake Florence and Gray's Lake. During that time, the land was mostly forest covered with comparatively gentle slopes and a rocky base.
CONSTRUCTION: This construction was performed via a “Design Build Contract” by Kiewit Alarie Partnership (KAP). Design was sub-contracted to RSW Inc (Montreal). The construction commenced at Hound Chute with overburden removal in the powerhouse and new intake location during the summer of 2008. Work also began on installation of a temporary “Bailey” bridge to provide access to the weir. Dam rehabilitation work began in Sept 2008 with the demolition of the overflow weir and construction of a new, 2 piece automated weir supplied by Obermeyer Hydro (USA). The Obermeyer weir was placed in-service March 31, 2009 .
The original Hound Chute GS operated in parallel with construction activities until July 2009 when Powerhouse de-commissioning and demolition began. All equipment was removed for recycling and the structure was demolished down to the generator floor which was stabilized with rock backfill. Clean concrete was crushed and buried on-site.
An upstream cofferdam was used to dewater the entire intake canal, on the downstream side, a rock plug remained in-place acting as a coffer dam. The depth of overburden in the proposed intake area was much greater than anticipated and required special dewatering measures but did not impact the construction schedule.
Commissioning of auxiliary systems and test operation of the water to wire equipment continued throughout the fall of 2010 with the station beginning commercial operation December 07, 2010.
HISTORICAL NOTE: In 1906, the early days of the Cobalt camp but three years since the discovery by the blacksmith LaRose, some far-seeing men recognizing the great value in the vicinity of Cobalt, secured leases from the government to develop on the Montreal River and elsewhere.
Steam power was costing the mines, at the time, over $100 per hp per annum, and as the boiler horsepower capacity of the district had increased to 3000 hp (1909 to 11,000 hp), it was evident that a market for hydroelectric power already existed.
Among the early pioneers were C.A. and B.C. Bead, incorporating the Cobalt Power Company Ltd. in December 1906, under the laws of the Province of Ontario, with an authorized capital of $500,000. The company had permission to construct, maintain, complete and operate works for the production, sale and distribution of electricity for the purposes of light, heat and power. A lease of water power on the Montreal River known as Hound Chute Falls, together with a tract of land comprising of about 28.3 ha (70 acres) were acquired.
Preliminary investigations and plans had been made in 1906 and 1907 but on account of the uncertainty with regard to the infant mining camp, nothing further was done until the Fall of 1908, when the final plans were made and construction started. (For further information on Cobalt's history see Lower Notch).