Brilliant Dam is a

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

on the

Kootenay River The Kootenay or Kootenai river is a major river in the Northwest Plateau, in southeastern British Columbia, Canada, and northern Montana and Idaho in the United States. It is one of the uppermost major tributaries of the Columbia River, the l ...

near

Castlegar, British Columbia Castlegar is the second-largest community in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada. In the Selkirk Mountains, at the confluence of the Kootenay and Columbia Rivers, it is a regional trade and transportation centre, with a local ...

, Canada. It was built during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, mostly by Doukhobour men exempt from military service, and its 129 MW twin

turbine A turbine ( or ) (from the Greek , ''tyrbē'', or Latin ''turbo'', meaning vortex) is a rotary mechanical device that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work. The work produced by a turbine can be used for generating e ...

s first came into operation in June, 1944. The

Columbia Power Corporation Columbia Power Corporation is a Crown Corporation, owned by the province of British Columbia, Canada. Its mandate is to undertake hydro-electricity projects in the Columbia River region of British Columbia. In so doing, it is required to work w ...

purchased the dam from Teck Cominco in 1996. Brilliant Dam is 42.6 metres high, with a net hydraulic head of 28 metres, and eight

sluice gate Sluice ( ) is a word for a channel controlled at its head by a movable gate which is called a sluice gate. A sluice gate is traditionally a wood or metal barrier sliding in grooves that are set in the sides of the waterway and can be considered ...

s. In 2000 work began to increase flow and upgrade the generating units. Upon completion, its four turbines will generate a combined 145 MW of electricity. In 2003, the

began the Brilliant expansion project. The project includes the construction of an additional powerhouse on the left bank, housing a 120 MW

Kaplan Kaplan may refer to: Places * Kapłań, Poland * Kaplan, Louisiana, U.S. * Kaplan Medical Center, a hospital in Rehovot, Israel * Kaplan Street, in Tel Aviv, Israel * Mount Kaplan, Antarctica * Kaplan Arena, at the College of William & Mary in W ...

turbine which uses excess water beyond the capacity of the original powerhouse.http://www.columbiapower.com/projects/brilliantexpansion.asp Brilliant Expansion Completed in 2007, it increased the combined generation of the dam to 265 MW. Brilliant Dam is downstream of Kootenay River's 49 MW

Corra Linn Dam Corra Linn Dam is a concrete hydroelectric dam on the Kootenay River between the cities of Castlegar and Nelson, in the West Kootenay region of southern British Columbia. Rapids The Corra Linn Rapids, named after the Falls of Clyde upper falls ...

, 583 MW

Kootenay Canal The Kootenay Canal is a hydroelectric power station, located 19 km downstream of Nelson, British Columbia, Canada. Where the Kootenay River flows out of the reservoir formed by the Corra Linn Dam on Kootenay Lake., a canal diverts water to ...

and 600 MW

Libby Dam Libby Dam is a concrete gravity dam in the northwestern United States, on the Kootenai River in northwestern Montana. Dedicated on it is west of the continental divide, upstream from the town of Libby. At in height and a length of , Libby Dam c ...

References

External links

Hydroelectric Plants in - British Columbia

History of the Brilliant Dam
Dams in British Columbia Hydroelectric power stations in British Columbia West Kootenay Doukhobors Dams completed in 1944 Dams on the Kootenay River Gravity dams Publicly owned dams in Canada {{Canada-powerstation-stub

See also

References

External links