Ottawa/
St. Lawrenc e
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Plant Group
Ontario Power Generation
(OPG) is a major North American
electricity generating company, based
in Ontario. The company operates a
fleet of nuclear, hydroelectric and fossil
generating stations across Ontario.
Each of these facilities - along with our
expanding portfolio of green power
sources - plays a unique role in meeting
our customers’ energy needs. OPG’s
goal is to be a premier North American
energy company providing customers
with reliable, clean and competitivelypriced power while operating in a safe,
open and environmentally responsible
manner.
What’s Inside
The power of hydroelectricity . . . . . 2
Ottawa/St. Lawrence stations . . . . . 4
Responsible resource
management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Ottawa/St. Lawrence operations . 14
Community connections . . . . . . . . . 16
Looking to the future . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
How a hydroelectric plant works . 20
Ottawa/St. Lawrence
Plant Group
Ottawa/St. Lawrence Plant Group
OPG’s Ottawa/St. Lawrence Plant Group operates
10 generating stations, three control dams and
several spillways on the St. Lawrence, Ottawa and
Madawaska rivers in eastern Ontario. Once important
routes for exploration, fur trading and logging, these
rivers now are a valued source of hydroelectric power
and also serve many environmental, recreational and
commercial purposes.
The stations provide a clean, low-cost, renewable and
reliable source of power. Their combined capacity
of 2,560 megawatts (MW) contributes an average
of 12 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity a year,
meeting almost 8 per cent of Ontario’s total electricity
demand. The plant group headquarters is in Renfrew.
The Power of Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectric power is a timeless, renewable resource
that fueled Ontario’s economic growth in the first
half of the twentieth century. Today, it remains
one of the cleanest, most cost-effective and reliable
means of generating electricity. It produces about one
quarter of Ontario Power Generation’s total electricity
production – virtually free of air emissions.
OPG operates 35 hydroelectric plants, a green power
portfolio of 29 small hydroelectric plants, and more
than 240 water control dams on 26 river systems
across Ontario. The smallest station has a generating
capacity of just one megawatt (MW), the largest
more than 1,400 MW. OPG’s total hydroelectric
generating capacity is over almost 7,000 MW. In the
increasingly competitive North American electricity
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(243 MW)
Des Joachims
QUEBEC
Chenaux (144 MW)
Toronto
Toront
marketplace, these hydroelectric facilities provide a
key market advantage for OPG and its customers.
Ottawa/St. Lawrence Close-Up
OPG operates the 10 Ottawa/St. Lawrence plants in
concert to help meet consumers’ around the clock
electricity needs and their extra demands for power
during peak periods. In service for many decades,
the stations have been well maintained and upgraded
over the years to make more efficient use of water
resources while minimizing environmental impacts.
The plants’ electricity output depends on weather
conditions, especially the amount of rain and snow
that nature provides.
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St. Lawrence River
R.H. Saunders Generating Station, located on the St.
Lawrence River near Cornwall, is the second largest
hydroelectric station in Ontario. Its 16 units have
a generating capacity of more than 1,000 MW enough to supply the peak electricity needs of almost
three-quarters of a million homes.
R.H. Saunders is one of two large generating stations
in the kilometre-long power dam that stretches across
the St. Lawrence River to New York State. R.H.
Saunders shares the structure with the St. LawrenceFranklin Delano Roosevelt Project, a generating
station operated by the New York Power Authority
(NYPA). The power dam was built between 1954
and 1958 as part of the massive St. Lawrence Seaway
and Power Project jointly undertaken by OPG’s predecessor, Ontario Hydro, as well as NYPA and the
Canadian and U.S. federal governments. In total,
there are 32 generating units in the dam - 16 at R.H.
Saunders GS and 16 at St. Lawrence-FDR Project.
Each station is operated independently, although
there is ongoing co-operation in managing the common control dam, dike and spillway facilities. The
river flow is controlled under conditions specified by
the International Joint Commission.
Ottawa River
More than 300 years ago, the Ottawa River was the
preferred route of travel for First Nations peoples in
Regular
Regular maintenance
maintenance ensures
ensures
safe,
safe, reliable
reliable operation
operation
Operators optimize electricity production in
balance with other uses of the rivers
the north and east of what is now Ontario, and for
the early voyageurs who brought pelts to fur markets in Montreal and Quebec. Today, Ontario Power
Generation operates four plants along the river.
Chats Falls Generating Station was the first major
plant built on the Ottawa River. While the eight
unit station is jointly owned by OPG and Hydro
Quebec, OPG operates and manages it, and operating
and maintenance crews are located there. Costs and
hydroelectric power are shared equally between the
two companies. OPG’s share of the plant’s generating
capacity is 96 MW.
Chenaux Generating Station is named for the seething rapids around which voyageurs once portaged
their canoes and wares. The rapids were a natural
location for this 144 MW facility. Operators based
at Chenaux GS manage the computer control system
used to regulate water flows and the operation of all
of OPG’s plants and control dams on the Ottawa and
Madawaska Rivers, except Chats Falls. Each station
on the Ottawa has its own maintenance crews.
The largest station on the Ottawa River is Des
Joachims Generating Station. With a generating
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Equipment upgrades help make more
clean hydroelectric power available
is released through the turbines at times of high customer demand during the day and in the evening.
Barrett Chute Generating Station was the first in a
series of stations built to harness the power of the
Madawaska River’s 244-metre drop. Two units at the
176 MW station went into service in 1942, followed
by three units at Stewartville Generating Station (182
MW). In the late 1960s, Mountain Chute Generating
Station (170 MW) and extensions to Barrett Chute
and Stewartville GSs came into service. Then, in
1976, the 82 MW Arnprior Generating Station was
built to help correct water level fluctuations and erosion along the lower Madawaska River, as well as to
provide additional hydroelectric power.
capacity of 429 MW from eight units, the plant generates almost half of the energy OPG produces from
the river.
The most northerly of the Ottawa River plants is
Otto Holden Generating Station. Completed in
1953, the eight generating units have a capacity of
243 MW. Above the 760-metre-long dam structure at
Otto Holden, the reservoir forms a 48-kilometre artificial lake in the Ottawa River, a popular location for
boating and fishing.
Madawaska River
On the Madawaska River, OPG operates five generating stations and two control dams. Once the scene
of log-driving dams and flumes, the river is now a
popular recreational area and home to a variety of fish
and wildlife species. The Madawaska River generating stations supply most of the Ottawa/St. Lawrence
plants’ peaking capacity. During hours of low electricity consumption when the stations are not running,
water is stored upstream above the stations. The water
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Calabogie Generating Station was acquired by OPG’s
predecessor, Ontario Hydro, in 1929. The two-unit,
4 MW station was built by a local resource company.
All of OPG’s generating stations on the Madawaska
are controlled remotely from Chenaux GS, and maintained by crews based at the Barrett Chute GS and
Stewartville GS work centres.
In addition to the generating stations in the
Madawaska watershed, OPG owns and operates the
Bark Lake Control Dam and the Kamaniskeg Lake
Control Dam at Palmer Rapids. These lakes, together
with Centennial Lake upstream from Mountain
Chute Generating Station, act as reservoirs that store
water for generating electricity and to minimize
flooding. The lakes and rivers are popular recreation
locales for cottages and water sports such as kayaking,
canoeing and white water rafting. The control dams
and generating plants are carefully operated to help
manage fluctuating water levels and balance energy
needs, commercial and recreational uses, and environmental protection.
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Ottawa/St. Lawrence Generating
St. Lawrence River
R.H. Saunders Generating Station
In-service dates: 1958-1959
Units: 16
Capacity: 1,045 MW
Stations at a Glance
Madawaska River
Arnprior Generating Station
In-service dates: 1976-1977
Units: 2
Capacity: 82 MW
Ottawa River
Chats Falls Generating Station
In-service dates: 1931-1932
Units: 4 (OPG owned)
Capacity: 96 MW (OPG portion)
Stewartville Generating Station
In-service dates: 1948-1969
Units: 5
Capacity: 182 MW
Chenaux Generating Station
In-service dates: 1950-1951
Units: 8
Capacity: 144 MW
Calabogie Generating Station
In-service date: 1917
Units: 2
Capacity: 4 MW
Des Joachims Generating Station
In-service dates: 1950-1951
Units: 8
Capacity: 429 MW
Barrett Chute Generating Station
In-service dates: 1942-1968
Units: 4
Capacity: 176 MW
Otto Holden Generating Station
In-service dates: 1952-1953
Units: 8
Capacity: 243 MW
Mountain Chute Generating
Station
In-service date: 1967
Units: 2
Capacity: 170 MW
Capacities are net maximum continuous rating.
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Responsible Resource
Management
Ontario Power Generation shares Ontario’s waterways
with many other users. As a conscientious steward
for the watersheds on which it operates, OPG strives
to optimize energy output while respecting the
environment and the needs of others.
Because water flow varies throughout the year, many
of the Ottawa/St. Lawrence Plant Group stations
are peaking plants that operate only when customer
demand for electricity is greatest, typically in the
morning and early evening hours. This is a very
effective way to meet peak energy demands, but
requires careful balance in managing changing water
levels and flows upstream and downstream.
To the extent that nature allows, the company
manages water flows and levels to support recreational
activities, enhance wildlife habitat and minimize
environmental impacts and the risk of flooding. For
example, the outflow areas of several stations are
spawning grounds for pickerel each spring. During
Madawaska River flows are managed to meet peak
electricity needs and support recreation
Tree planting helps control erosion and
improve wildlife habitat near Arnprior GS
this time, units are kept in operation during the
evenings to enhance spawning conditions.
OPG’s water management plans and operating
practices are developed in close collaboration with
governments, regulators, conservation authorities,
environmental groups, cottage associations, local
businesses, recreational users and others.
For instance, the Ontario Ministry of Natural
Resources, OPG and a public advisory group have
cooperated for several years on the Madawaska River
Water Management Review. The outcome of the
review - which included extensive research, studies
and public consultation - is a comprehensive plan
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Photo courtesy Madawaska Kanu Centre
that specifies desired water level ranges according to
each lake’s characteristics, time of year and user needs;
outlines fish and wildlife management strategies; and
improves flood forecasting and high-water warnings
for local residents.
The review has also resulted in a variety of
wildlife, aquatic and vegetation studies and habitat
improvement projects, including tree planting,
building of loon nesting platforms and creation of
new pickerel spawning beds. As well, a number of
local lakes are being restocked with native fish species.
The Madawaska process has become a model for
joint water management and operating plans being
developed for all major Ontario river systems where
generating facilities are located. In recognition of the
success of the Madawaska River Water Management
Review, the U.S. based National Hydropower
Association awarded OPG its Outstanding
Stewardship of America’s Rivers award in 2001 and
2002.
Water conditions are monitored as part of the
Madawaska River Water Management Plan
New
New pickerel
pickerel spawning
spawning beds
beds are
are being
being
created
created along
along the
the Madawaska
Madawaska
Such environmental initiatives are not confined to
the Madawaska system. Biodiversity programs on the
Ottawa River include a partnership with Ministry of
Natural Resources to review the state of the fisheries
on the river, and construction of osprey nesting
platforms near Chats Falls GS.
R.H. Saunders GS on the St. Lawrence is also
operated so as to minimize its environmental impact.
Each year, about 150,000 migrating American eels
climb a specially constructed 163-metre aluminum
“ladder” at the station on their journey upstream
to the Great Lakes. The ladder helps preserve the
species, which spawns in the Sargasso Sea, and
supports an industry that harvests the eels as a
delicacy for European and Asian markets.
Broader resource management programs at Saunders
include a partnership with others along the St.
Lawrence River on a major reforestation initiative;
work with Ducks Unlimited on wetland and
migratory bird habitat restoration; and sponsorship
of St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental
Sciences research to better understand and improve
the ecology and water quality of the river.
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OPG funds environmental research
at the St. Lawrence River Institute
Sustainable Development Policy
Ontario Power Generation is committed to becoming
a sustainable energy development company. We will
work towards this goal by applying the principles
of sustainable development to the generation and
sale of electricity and related energy products and
services. Enhanced environmental performance and
increased competitiveness will be achieved through
continual improvement in:
•
Ecosystem protection
•
Energy and resource use efficiency
•
Pollution prevention, and
•
Community relations.
OPG will:
Ontario Power Generation has also partnered with St.
Lawrence College to install a small wind turbine at
the college’s Cornwall campus.
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Meet all legislative requirements and voluntary
environmental commitments, with the objective of
moving beyond compliance.
*
Maintain environmental management systems
consistent with the International Organization
for Standardization (ISO) 14001 Environmental
Management Specification.
*
Integrate environmental and social factors into our
planning, decision-making and business practices.
*
Apply the precautionary principle to assess the
human health risks and environmental damage
resulting from our operations, and any potential
risks and impacts from new technologies and
processes, even where scientific consensus has
not yet established the level of risk or damage.
Implement cost-effective mitigation measures for
impacts that cannot be avoided.
*
Develop the use of renewable energy and energy
efficient technologies.
*
Educate, encourage and empower employees to
conduct their activities in an environmentallyresponsible and sustainable manner.
*
Measure and communicate our progress towards
achieving sustainable development.
Ottawa/St. Lawrence
Operations
About 275 people work in the Ottawa/St. Lawrence
Plant Group in operations, engineering, maintenance,
river control, safety, environmental management,
business administration and support roles. Their
common goal is to produce electricity safely, reliably,
responsibly and cost-effectively.
A key measure of the plant group’s success is the
registration of its environmental management
system to the rigorous standards of the International
Organization for Standardization (ISO). Registration
demonstrates to the community that the stations are
being operated with respect for the environment.
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contribute to cultural activities. In addition, through
the employee Charity Trust campaign, plant group
employees set high standards of giving by donating to
local charities of their choice.
Plant group employees volunteer their time
to a wide range of community projects
To ensure that the Ottawa/St. Lawrence plants
continue to meet customer needs for years to come,
the stations are well maintained and regularly
upgraded. R.H. Saunders, for example, has
completed an extensive multi-year rehabilitation and
upgrade program. These improvements have increased
the station’s generating capacity and improved its
efficiency. Major rehabilitation programs have also
been completed at the Des Joachims and Chenaux
generating stations, and another is underway at Otto
Holden GS. Together, all of these rehabilitation
and upgrade projects will increase the plant group’s
generating capacity by more than 120 megawatts.
As a responsible corporate citizen, Ontario Power
Generation supports a variety of community,
environmental, and educational projects in the
Ottawa/St. Lawrence area. In recent years, OPG
has provided more than $100,000 to community
hospitals, environmental and recreational projects,
community events, youth sports programs, cultural
and historical organizations and other community
initiatives.
OPG annually purchases $25 million to $40 million
in goods and services from companies in Ottawa,
Cornwall and surrounding municipalities.
In addition to contributing to a number of
environmental partnerships and sponsorships, station
staff periodically host community open houses,
Community Connections
The management and staff of the Ottawa/St.
Lawrence Plant Group are committed to being
responsible and conscientious members of the many
communities where they operate facilities, live and
raise their families. Ottawa/St. Lawrence employees
also have a long tradition of volunteer service
and fundraising for their communities. Many are
volunteer firefighters and service club, youth group,
amateur sport and recreational leaders. Others are
active in municipal and environmental groups, or
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OPG supports many local youth,
environmental and community activities
Chenaux GS staff invited neighbours to help
celebrate the plant’s 50th anniversary
participate in local festivals and give presentations to
area schools and community groups.
Plant group staff are also working to improve
safety. Portage routes are being developed around
the generating stations on the Madawaska River
to provide paddlers safe access to the entire river.
Employees reach out to the community with
important information about water safety and
emergency response plans. Of particular concern
are the dangers near dams and generating stations,
where water levels and flows can change without
warning. Signage, safety barriers, advertising
campaigns, educational materials and partnerships
with local agencies help get these safety messages out
to community residents and visitors.
These and similar efforts contribute to the quality of
life in our host communities, and we are proud to be
part of them. OPG’s Ottawa/St. Lawrence operation
will continue to keep its commitment to be both a
good employer and a responsible, involved member of
its surrounding communities.
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Looking to the Future
As the electricity marketplace in Ontario becomes
increasingly competitive, OPG’s larger hydroelectric
facilities will continue to play a strategic role in
ensuring that the company provides its customers
with a reliable and low-cost supply of power, free of
air emissions. Our growing green power portfolio,
which includes two dozen small hydroelectric plants,
as well as biomass, solar and wind energy sources, will
also enable the company to compete successfully in
the evolving green energy market.
Ontario Power Generation will continue to invest
in the Ottawa/St. Lawrence plants to enhance plant
performance, further protect the environment and
deliver sustained customer and shareholder value.
At the same time, the plant group will ensure that
it operates in harmony with other users of the
river systems and contributes positively to the local
communities in which its facilities are located.
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How a Hydroelectric
Generating Station Works
Headgate
Elec
tric
ity
Water Intake
Trash Rack
Transformer
Dam
Wa
te
rF
low
Generator
Penstock
Turbine
Water Discharge
(tailrace)
In simple terms, electricity is produced by spinning
an electromagnet inside a coil of wire in a generator
to create a flow of electrons. A hydroelectric station
uses falling water to keep the electromagnet spinning.
Hydroelectric stations use the flow and drop of a
river to create a driving force. Water at the higher
level enters the station through a pipe (penstock) and
travels down to a turbine.
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The turbine is a type of water wheel connected to the
generator.
When the turbine is set in motion, it causes the
electromagnet to rotate, and electricity is produced.
The water, having served its purpose, exits the
generating station and rejoins the main stream of the
river in the tailrace of the station.
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ONTARIO POWER GENERATION CARES ABOUT YOUR
SAFETY. That’s why we’re asking Ontario residents and
visitors to stay clear of OPG hydroelectric stations and dams.
They’re unsafe places for recreation activities. Hydroelectric
stations operate all year round and their operation affects
water flows and ice conditions. Water flows can change
quickly and without notice. Some dams have gates that
might be remotely controlled and in just a few minutes, can
change a dry and calm riverbed into a river with dangerous
flows! This can lead to thin ice in winter and pose a threat to
anyone who ventures too close! So remember: ALWAYS stay
clear of all hydroelectric power stations, dams, and spillway
channels… and STAY SAFE.
For More Information Please Contact:
Linda Halliday
Public Affairs
Ottawa/St. Lawrence Plant Group
R.H. Saunders Generating Station
P.O. Box 999
Cornwall, Ontario
K6H 5V1
Phone: (613) 932-3072, ext. 3304
Fax: (613) 932-9981
Email: [email protected]
For general OPG information, water safety information and the latest water
conditions on the Madawaska River, visit the Ontario Power Generation web
site at www.opg.com