Hydro Ottawa kicks off 29 megawatt Chaudiere Falls expansion
by Cleantech Canada Staff
Ottawa River facility will produce electricity for 20,000 homes annually
Rendering of the completed 29 megawatt facility. PHOTO: CNW Group/Hydro Ottawa Holding Inc.
OTTAWA—Construction of the newest addition to Hydro Ottawa’s green energy portfolio is now underway. The utility has launched the expansion of its Chaudière Falls station, located on the Ottawa River just 1.5 kilometres from the Parliament of Canada and downtown Ottawa.
The facility will house a 29 megawatt below-ground hydroelectric station and will feed the provincial electricity grid with enough energy to power 20,000 homes each year.
“Hydro Ottawa’s Chaudière Falls expansion promises to be an important addition to our community by providing clean, renewable energy to our homes and businesses as a public space where Ottawa residents can come together,” Bob Chiarelli, Ontario’s Minister of Energy, said.
Chiarelli joined other guests and Hydro Ottawa’s president and CEO, Bryce Conrad, on a tour of the site. Nov. 16.
In addition to generating clean energy, the project will include public viewing platforms on the roof of the facility, making the falls open to the public for the first time in more than 100 years.
“I am extremely proud to be part of an organization that dares to dream of a more renewable energy future for Ottawa,” chairman of Hydro Ottawa’s board, Jim Durrell, said. “Hydro Ottawa is making that dream a reality with minimal impact on the environment, inviting collaboration from all stakeholders, and by putting Ottawa residents at the centre of its vision for Chaudière. Once again residents will have unobstructed access to this historical site and birthplace of renewable electricity in Ottawa.”
The expansion is slated for completion in 2017.
