Drones, divers, and goats help keep OPG’s operations running smoothly
At a glance
- OPG continues to tap into innovation to ensure reliability and safety in its operations.
- Recently, divers, a window-cleaning drone, and a herd of goats helped keep OPG’s hydroelectric operations in tip-top shape.
- These inventive approaches are helping ensure efficiencies as well as worker safety.
Whether it be drones, divers, or goats – OPG continues to use all means to get the job done.

Recently, workers at a couple of OPG’s hydroelectric stations tapped into several innovative approaches to gain efficiencies and keep operations running safely and smoothly.
At Chats Falls Generating Station (GS), located close to the Ontario-Québec border, divers with OPG’s Advanced Inspection and Maintenance team took the plunge into the cold waters near the station’s G7 unit.
Over four days, the team completed a thorough cleaning of the unit’s trash rack, which prevents large debris from entering the unit and damaging turbine parts. In all, the divers removed a full barge-load of river debris, including logs, trees, weeds, and garbage.

With the trash rack cleared, Chats Falls’ Unit 7 is now producing an extra megawatt of energy, enough to power about 1,000 homes.
Also at Chats Falls, a cutting-edge drone was seen buzzing in the air to give the powerhouse’s tall side windows a thorough wash. The aerial cleaner was contracted through an Ontario-based company to deftly spray and clean the windows.
This innovative approach helped avoid the need for employees to work at heights from an elevated platform and secured cost savings. Drone window washing is now being implemented at other sites across OPG.

Finally, Eugenia GS in southwestern Ontario, took a page from Niagara Region’s playbook and deployed goats to graze for vegetation control work at one of its dams. The hooved helpers were able to trot into hard-to-reach and hazardous areas to chow down on pesky weeds and other fast-growing plants.
Goat grazing is a proven method to help with vegetation management and promote the growth of native plants. This is thanks to the goat’s ability to eat many different kinds of plants, trees, and pesky weeds. Also, when seeds pass through a goat’s digestive system, they lose the ability to grow because the goat’s unique enzymes break them down. As a result, the seeds cannot germinate after being digested.
These are just some of the innovations at OPG that are helping to keep its operations running safely, reliably, and efficiently.
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