Timmins, Ontario: On June 6 Ontario Power Generation celebrated 100 years of hydroelectric generation at the Wawaitin site. Placed into service in June 1912 to produce electricity for local mines in the early days of the Porcupine Camp, the original Wawaitin GS continued to generate electricity for the people of Ontario until March 1st, 2010, at which time, at the end of its service life, it was replaced with a new generating station at the same location.
“Wawaitin GS has produced clean, reliable hydroelectricity for the people of Ontario for a hundred years due in large part to the efforts of hundreds of men and women who built, maintained and operated the Wawaitin stations over the last century”, said OPG’s Plant Manager Peter Murray as he and Timmins city councillor Gary Scripnick unveiled a plaque commemorating the individuals who worked at the station during its 100 year history.
“Today, we recognize their efforts in helping Timmins grow from a modest mining camp to a large, vibrant city,” Murray added.
Now standing in the place of the original Wawaitin GS is a new 15 megawatt generating with enough capacity to power up to 15,000 homes. Wawaitin GS was replaced as part of OPG’s larger Upper Mattagami and Hound Chute Redevelopment Project. The $300 million project included the redevelopment of the Sandy Falls, Wawaitin and Lower Sturgeon sites on the Mattagami River, and the Hound Chute site on the Montreal River. All four stations were returned to service on time and on budget, providing 44 megawatts of clean, reliable hydroelectricity to Ontario, more than doubling the original capacity, while using the same amount of water.