When looking at expanding its hydroelectric generating operations at the historic Chaudière Falls on the Ottawa River, Hydro Ottawa (through its subsidiary, Energy Ottawa) knew it was an opportunity that would have a big impact on the city – and it had to be done right. Situated in the downtown core, less than 1.5 kilometres from the Parliament of Canada, Chaudière Falls is in the heart of Canada’s National Capital with great historical significance. The site is the birthplace of electricity in Ottawa and home to Canada’s oldest hydroelectric station still in operation. Chaudière was responsible for lighting Ottawa’s streets with electricity and it fueled the industrial explosion of the mid-1800s by providing water power for the vast complex of lumber mills that once occupied the shoreline of the Ottawa River.
Hydro Ottawa’s vision for expanding its hydroelectric generating facilities at Chaudière Falls was three-fold: produce clean, renewable energy in an environmentally responsible way; create a public space to be enjoyed by all; and promote the cultural and spiritual elements of the site in recognition of Canada’s Algonquin First Nations.
Hydro Ottawa is Ontario’s largest municipally-owned producer of green power. Its existing portfolio at Chaudière Falls includes six run-of-the-river hydroelectric generation plants, a 67 percent interest in the Ring Dam, and all water rights. It was in 2014 that Hydro Ottawa announced a 40-year contract with the former Ontario Power Authority (now merged with the Independent Electricity System Operator) to expand its Chaudière Falls site with a new 29 megawatt facility, scheduled to be completed by the end of 2017.
“The Chaudière assets have been near and dear to Hydro Ottawa since 1882, when our founders first lit the streets of Ottawa with renewable energy,” says Bryce Conrad, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hydro Ottawa. “Investing in clean, sustainable and innovative growth opportunities with our customer top-of-mind is paramount for Hydro Ottawa, and why we’re excited at the long-term value this expansion will create. It is good news for our customers, for the City of Ottawa, and for Ontarians.”
There is no doubt that the site enhancement at Chaudière Falls will have positive environmental, cultural and aesthetic impacts on the City of Ottawa. The site will offer safe viewing platforms and greater public access in the form of a defined corridor on the roof of the new below-grade hydro facility as well as a new bridge across the intake canal for pedestrian and cyclist traffic. Using a restorative philosophy, Hydro Ottawa will maintain elements of the city’s industrialist past, including refurbishing two of the site’s oldest buildings that survived the Great Fire of 1900.
It’s a plan that will forever change the way people access and experience Chaudière Falls. As such, Hydro Ottawa has been working with various partners and collaborators including the National Capital Commission and First Nations communities to develop a site plan that accomplishes a unified vision that accurately represents its history.
Hydro Ottawa has been operating hydroelectric plants at Chaudière for more than 130 years and this enhancement delivers on its commitment to having minimal to zero impacts on the environment. With its operation sites already registered with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Hydro Ottawa says that under the new design, fish survival rates will increase. This includes the endangered American Eel, which migrates downstream between July and September. It’s anticipated that eel survival rates will increase from 79.8 percent to 99.3 percent once the project is complete.
“There’s an inextricable link between our energy business and the environment,” says Conrad. “We’re adapting and responding to the changing needs and expectations of our customers by ensuring a more sustainable energy future for our community.”
The company says it is practicing what it preaches and their efforts have not gone unnoticed in the industry. In 2014, Hydro Ottawa won the Canadian Electricity Association’s Environmental Commitment Award and the Best Ottawa Business Awards for Sustainability Leader of the Year. Also, for the fourth year in a row, Hydro Ottawa was recognized as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers. Environmentalism is in the utility’s blood and workplace culture.
With this new expansion project alone projected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 115,000 metric tons of carbon per year, the City of Ottawa will reap the benefits of cleaner air thanks to Hydro Ottawa’s hydroelectric operations. Chaudière is one of the largest remaining water-power development sites available in Ontario, leaving the door wide open for further expansions and a bright clean energy future.
— Originally published in ReNew, the newsletter of the Ontario Waterpower Association. Reprinted by permission.