Hydroelectric Upgrades for Ontario Station

Another major upgrade initiative at the company's R.H. Saunders hydroelectric station in Cornwall has added 138 MW of capacity as part of a 12-year rehabilitation of the station's generating equipment and powerhouse, completed in 2002. Major components of the program included generator rewinds, runner upgrades, and transformer and power cable replacements.

For this significant accomplishment, OPG was recently recognized by the National Hydropower Association as the winner of the 2005 Hydro Achievement Award in the category of Technological Solutions. Since the late 1980s, upgrades at these and other OPG's hydroelectric stations all across Ontario have increased total hydroelectric capacity by 380 MW.

"Over these past nine years, all 16 generating units at the Beck 2 station have been upgraded in what is one of the most ambitious rehabilitation projects of its kind," said Jim Twomey, OPG's Senior Vice President of Electricity Production. "While Beck 2 has been efficiently generating electricity since 1954, this initiative ensures that the station will continue generating clean and reliable electricity from the Niagara River for many years to come."

OPG also continues to invest in enhancements and additions to hydroelectric generating capacity at other stations throughout the province. Currently, major rehabilitation programs are underway at the following OPG hydroelectric facilities: Otto Holden; Chats Falls; Des Joachims; Abitibi Canyon; Sir Adam Beck 1, Cameron Falls, Kakabeka and Caribou Falls. Between 2005 and 2012, OPG plans to add 123 MW of additional hydroelectric capacity to its hydroelectric fleet through station capacity upgrades.