Ottawa: Energy Minister Glenn Thibeault and Minister of Infrastructure Bob Chiarelli joined Hydro Ottawa’s President and CEO, Bryce Conrad and Chair of Hydro Ottawa’s Board of Directors Jim Durrell June 20, to announce that Hydro Ottawa has entered into a purchase and sale agreement with Hydro-Québec to acquire the remaining 33 per cent interest in the Ottawa River Ring Dam and a 27 MW hydroelectric generating station, Centrale Hull 2, on the Gatineau side of Chaudière Falls.
Hydro Ottawa’s existing portfolio at Chaudière Falls includes six run-of-the-river hydroelectric generation plants, a 67 per cent interest in the Ring Dam, and all water rights. In 2014, 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 MW facility, scheduled to be completed in 2017.
Once this acquisition is complete, Hydro Ottawa will own 100 per cent of the hydroelectric facilities at the Chaudière site on both sides of the Ottawa River – signifying even greater possibilities to grow Ottawa’s green energy capacity for the future.
Hydro Ottawa is already the largest municipally-owned producer of green energy in Ontario with a generation capacity of 79 MW. The closing of this acquisition, subject to conditions, is expected to occur in the third quarter of 2016.
Negotiations are also ongoing with the IESO to secure a power purchase agreement for Centrale Hull 2 and Gatineau No. 1 (already owned by Hydro Ottawa) to be connected to the Hydro Ottawa distribution system in order to sell electricity to the province of Ontario. The two hydroelectric stations have a total output of 39 megawatts.