OPG’s Abitibi Canyon GS bustling with activity in Ontario’s north

At a glance

• 89-year-old Abitibi Canyon hydro station undergoing multiple projects to ensure reliable, clean power for future.
• Happening now at site: transformer upgrades, roof replacement, and stator rewind.
• Plant first began producing power in May 1933.

In the wilderness of northern Ontario, OPG’s Abitibi Canyon Generating Station (GS) is a hive of activity as several projects are underway at the 349-megawatt hydro station.

Since the spring, workers have been busy conducting transformer upgrades, a roof repair, and replacement of copper coils in the station’s G4 unit stator, a key component to generating electric current.

All of this important work will help ensure this 89-year-old plant can continue to produce clean, reliable power for Ontario to help meet the province’s growing electricity needs and climate change goals.

“Our team in the north has been hard at work on multiple concurrent projects at our Abitibi Canyon station,” said Paul Seguin, Senior Vice-President of Renewable Generation at OPG. “This work will not only ensure Abitibi’s units can continue to produce clean power reliably, but it will also ensure this power can be delivered safely to Ontarians.”

Among the projects, workers are currently in the midst of replacing three 39-year-old transformers which have reached their end of life. These are important pieces of equipment key to delivering Abitibi Canyon’s clean power to the Ontario power grid.

Happening in parallel to the transformer upgrades is a replacement of the powerhouse’s roof. Unlike many stations, Abitibi Canyon’s transformers are located on the powerhouse roof deck. Since the transformer bases must be removed before the roofing below can be replaced, the team is taking this opportunity to complete this work while transformer upgrades are underway.

Both projects are expected to be completed later this year.

Lastly, a stator rewind on the station’s G4 unit has been underway since June. The stator – a ring-shaped component comprising hundreds of copper coils – is integral to converting the rotating magnetic field in a generator into electric current. This rewind will include replacing 396 copper coils and other equipment.

Coming on the heels of a successful rewind on the G5 unit last year, the team expects to return the G4 unit back to service in late February 2023 before taking on a stator rewind for the G3 unit in early 2023.

This important work and ongoing repair and maintenance will help keep the Abitibi station operating – and looking – as good as ever.