The new below-ground hydroelectric station is expected to be completed in 2017. When operational, the project will increase Hydro Ottawa’s renewable energy output to 99MW.
The clean electricity generated at the project will be supplied to the provincial grid and will be enough to power 20,000 homes, while reducing 115,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually.
Ontario Minister of Energy Bob Chiarelli said: "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, and as a celebration of Indigenous Canadians.
"I applaud Hydro Ottawa for their vision, and look forward to the benefits our community receives from this project?."
Hydro Ottawa’s existing portfolio includes four hydroelectric stations at Chaudière Falls, in addition to majority shares in landfill gas-to-energy plants at the Trail Road and Laflèche Landfills with a total capacity of around 39MW.
The company recently acquired 10 run-of-the-river hydroelectric facilities from Fortis in Ontario and nearby New York State with a total installed capacity of 31MW.
The new site will offer safe viewing platforms and public access in the form of a defined corridor on the roof of the new below-grade hydro facility.
Hydro Ottawa board of directors chair Jim Durrell said: "I am extremely proud to be part of an organization that dares to dream of a more renewable energy future for Ottawa.
"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."
Image: The new site will offer safe viewing platforms and public access in the form of a defined corridor on the roof of the new below-grade hydro facility. Photo: courtesy of CNW / Hydro Ottawa.
