OPG’s Chats Falls Generating Station marks 90 years of service
On the Ottawa River, Chats Falls Generating Station (GS) is celebrating 90 years of producing clean power not just for Ontario, but also for its neighbour across the river, Québec.
Jointly owned by OPG and Hydro-Québec, the eight-unit, 192-megawatt station is located 60 km west of Ottawa near the Ontario-Québec border and sends power to both provinces. As a shared station, revenues and costs are shared by both power companies, with each owning four of the plant’s units, while OPG operates the entire facility.
It’s a unique partnership that began back in 1928, when OPG’s predecessor, the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario, struck a deal with the Chats Falls Power Company, later absorbed by Hydro-Québec, on the development and operation of a powerhouse on the Ottawa River.
After the agreement, construction began on the Chats Falls station, an extensive project requiring large volumes of water to be diverted using large cofferdams and the construction of a long concrete dam. The project also required four kilometres of the Canadian National Railway to be diverted further inland to avoid flooding the existing railway.
“Chats Falls GS continues to reflect our shared commitment to providing low-cost, clean and reliable power to our respective provinces.”Nicolle Butcher, Senior Vice-President of Renewable Generation
Despite the challenges, by October 1931, the first units went into service. In addition to adding new hydro capacity, the development helped create jobs during an economic downtime. Today, the facility generates enough clean electricity to power about 150,000 homes.
“Chats Falls GS continues to reflect our shared commitment to providing low-cost, clean and reliable power to our respective provinces,” said Nicolle Butcher, OPG’s Senior Vice-President of Renewable Generation and Power Marketing. “Through 90 years of collaboration and cooperation, the station has played a vital role in the lives of Ontarians and Québécois. And OPG’s hydro generating assets will play an important role in helping achieve our goal to be a net-zero company by 2040.”
In the 1930s, a mini company town consisting of 17 single-family homes on 28 acres of land was built to house Ontario Hydro staff and their families. By 1977, the costs to maintain the colony became difficult and Ontario Hydro ceased placing staff at the site, later putting the houses up for sale.
On March 2, 1953, a disconnected switch at the station exploded, setting off a devastating fire that destroyed the Ontario side of the powerhouse. In all, one generator was destroyed, another was damaged, and a section of the roof collapsed. While the plant was knocked offline due to damaged cables, two units were brought back into service the next day, and four more went back online the next week.
Following the fire, Chats Falls GS underwent multiple upgrades. From 1953 to 1954, units 2 to 5 were converted from 25 Hz to 60 Hz frequency, with the remaining units converted from 1958-1959. In the 1970s, new steel runners were installed and other improvements made to boost the station’s output by 35 MW. At the time, the station was the first hydro plant to undergo a turbine upgrade through Ontario Hydro’s refurbishment program. After the 1953 fire, roads also replaced the existing rail system to access the Chats Falls GS site.
In 2019, OPG and Hydro-Québec renewed the Operating Services Agreement between the two companies. The agreement, previously signed more than 40 years ago in 1977, provides a framework for how Chats Falls GS is operated and maintained, and how costs are recovered, allowing both utilities to share their strength, expertise and experience.
The renewed pact also takes into account new efficiencies and operational changes at Chats Falls that have improved the station’s performance and financial viability over the years.
To take a virtual tour of Chats Falls GS, click here.
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