OPG, Hydro Québec renew operating agreement at Chats Falls GS

On the Ottawa River, OPG has renewed a decades-long partnership with Hydro Québec to continue to operate Chats Falls Generating Station (GS) safely and reliably.

On Oct. 15, Mike Martelli, President of Renewable Generation at OPG, and Simon Racicot-Daigneault, Hydro Québec’s Senior Director, Generation and Maintenance, held a signing ceremony at the station to commemorate a new Operating Services Agreement.

The eight-unit, 192-megawatt hydroelectric station, located 60 km west of Ottawa near the Ontario-Québec border, is jointly owned by OPG and Hydro Québec, with the station sending power to both provinces. The station has been a partnership effort since 1928 when OPG’s predecessor, The Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario, reached an agreement with Chats Falls Power Company (later absorbed by Hydro-Québec) for the development and operation of a powerhouse on the Ottawa River.

As a shared station, revenues and costs are shared by both companies, with each owning and operating four of the station’s generators.

Guiding this collaborative arrangement is an Operating Services Agreement between OPG and Hydro Québec. The agreement, last signed more than 40 years ago in 1977, provides a framework for how the facility is operated and maintained, and how costs are recovered, allowing both companies to share their strength, expertise and experience.

“For 88 years, Chats Falls GS has been generating electricity on the Ottawa River safely and reliably,” said Martelli. “This updated operating agreement demonstrates a shared commitment to continue providing low-cost, clean and reliable power to our respective provinces.”

A lot has changed since 1977 in terms of technological improvements, including station automation. This necessitated a new agreement, which was signed by both companies on May 30, 2019.