According to the

International Hydropower Association The International Hydropower Association (IHA) is a non-profit, international organisation and membership association representing the global hydropower sector. IHA has members in more than 80 countries, including over 100 corporate and affiliat ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

is the fourth largest producer of

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, 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 Renewabl ...

in the world in 2021 after the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. In 2014, Canada consumed the equivalent of 85.7

megatonnes The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the short ton ( United State ...

worth of oil of hydroelectricity, 9.8% of worldwide hydroelectric consumption. Furthermore, hydroelectricity accounted for 25.7% of Canada's total energy consumption (37.3% of non-oil sources). It is the third-most consumed energy in Canada behind oil and natural gas (30.9% and 28.1% of total consumption, respectively). Some provinces and territories, such as

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

and

Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

produce over 90% of their electricity from Hydro. All of the dams with large reservoirs were completed before 1990, since then most development has been

run-of-the-river Run-of-river hydroelectricity (ROR) or run-of-the-river hydroelectricity is a type of hydroelectric generation plant whereby little or no water storage is provided. Run-of-the-river power plants may have no water storage at all or a limited amou ...

, both large and small. Natural Resources Canada calculates the current installed small hydro capacity is 3,400 MW, with an estimated potential of 15,000 MW. A report on the future of hydroelectricity, suggests the remaining 40% potential will remain undeveloped up to 2050, citing a lack of public acceptance. The widespread usage of hydroelectricity, including being incorporated into electric utility names such as

Toronto Hydro Toronto Hydro Corporation is an electric utility that operates the electricity distribution system for the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. As of 2018, it serves approximately 772,000 customers and delivers approximately 19% of the electricity c ...

BC Hydro The British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority, operating as BC Hydro, is a Canadian electric utility in the province of British Columbia. It is the main electricity distributor, serving more than 4 million customers in most areas, with the excep ...

, has led to "

hydro Hydro from Ancient Greek word ὕδωρ (húdōr), meaning ''water''. Hydro may also refer to: Energy technologies * Water-derived power or energy: ** Hydropower, derived from water ** Hydroelectricity, in electrical form * "Hydro", AC mains ...

" being used in some parts of Canada to refer to electricity in general, regardless of source. As of 2019, Canada had 81 GW of installed hydroelectric capacity, producing about 400 TWh of electricity.

By region

British Columbia

owns and operates the majority of hydroelectric installations in British Columbia. A second crown corporation,

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 ...

and two companies also own large dams in BC, Alcan's Kemano Project and

FortisBC FortisBC is a Canadian owned, British Columbia based regulated utility focused on providing safe and reliable energy, including natural gas, Renewable Natural Gas, electricity and propane. FortisBC has approximately 2,600 employees serving more th ...

. 90% of

's generation is produced by hydroelectric means. Natural gas and biomass thermal power round out the generation portfolio. Over 80% of

's installed in generating capacity is at hydroelectric installations in the Peace and

Columbia river The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

basins. The GM Shrum and Peace Canyon generating stations are on the Peace River produced 29% of

's electricity requirements. In the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

Basin, Mica and Revelstoke hydroelectric plants together contributed 25%, while Kootenay Canal and Seven Mile generating stations together supplied 10%.ergy_in_bc/our_system/generation.html BC Hydro Generation System
Retrieved 2012-03-05 The remaining 25 hydroelectric generating stations supplied 14% of electricity production. BC Hydro also operates thermal power plants. The Burrard Thermal Generating Station contributes 7.5% and the remaining 14.5% of the electricity requirement was supplied by purchases and other transactions. BC Hydro's last dam was completed in 1984, since then

projects with private partners have been built. Power production without reservoirs varies dramatically through the year, so older dams with large reservoirs, retain water and average out capacity. As of 2012, there were approximately 40 small hydro sites generating 750 MW. By 2014 various companies have built a total of 100 run of the river projects under 50 MW. In 2014 they produced 18,000 GWh from 4,500 MW of capacity.

Manitoba Hydro

As of March 31, 2018,

Manitoba Hydro The Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board, operating as Manitoba Hydro, is the electric power and natural gas utility in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1961, it is a provincial Crown Corporation, governed by the Manitoba Hydro-Electric Boa ...

serves a peak Manitoba electrical load of 5,648 megawatts. Electrical supply to Manitoba customers was 22.5 terawatt-hours in fiscal 2017, with total revenue due to electricity of $1.464 billion CAD. Extraprovincial sales totaled $437 million in 2017-18 and were at 9.448 terawatt-hours, with normal water flows. The company also delivered 2.048 billion cubic metres of natural gas in 2017–18, which contributed $346 million CAD to revenues. As of early 2020, around 97% of the electricity generation in Manitoba comes from hydroelectricity. The new Keeyask Station on the Nelson River was completed in 2021-2022.

Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro (NL Hydro), commonly known as Hydro, is a provincial Crown corporation that generates and delivers electricity for Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as portions of Quebec and the north-eastern areas of the United ...

's installed generating capacity, 7775 megawatts (MW), 92 percent hydroelectric, is the third largest of all utility companies in Canada. The new

Lower Churchill Project The Lower Churchill Project is an ongoing hydroelectric project in the Labrador region of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, to develop the remaining 35 per cent of the Churchill River that was not developed by the Churchill Falls Generating Stat ...

with a total generating capacity of 824 MW was completed between 2020 and 2022.

Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories has an installed hydroelectric generating capacity of 55 MW, supplying electricity to the North Slave and South Slave electricity grids. Each grid operates independently and is not connected to the electrical grid in the rest of Canada.

Ontario

Ontario Power Generation Ontario Power Generation Inc. (OPG) is a Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation and "government business enterprise" that is responsible for approximately half of the electricity generation in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is w ...

(OPG) Produces 50% of the electricity used in the province, 40% from hydroelectric, 10% from nuclear-powered facilities, 30% from solar, and 20% from biomass. OPG uses thermal plants that burn biomass and natural gas with a generating capacity of 2,458 MW; these plants were not used in 2015. After a provincial government commitment to phase out all coal generating plants, two units at

Nanticoke Nanticoke may refer to: * Nanticoke people in Delaware, United States * Nanticoke language, an Algonquian language * Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape, a state-recognized tribe in New Jersey Place names Canada * Nanticoke, Ontario ** Nanticoke Generating S ...

were shut down in fall 2010. Another two were shut down in 2011. The final four were shut down on December 31, 2013.

Quebec

Hydro-Québec Hydro-Québec is a public utility that manages the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in the Canadian province of Quebec, as well as the export of power to portions of the Northeast United States. It was established by the ...

's extensive network of 61 hydroelectric dams have a combined capacity of 38,400 megawatts, accounting for over half of the Canadian total. Hydropower accounts for 95.73% of the supply sold by the

Crown-owned

utility As a topic of economics, utility is used to model worth or value. Its usage has evolved significantly over time. The term was introduced initially as a measure of pleasure or happiness as part of the theory of utilitarianism by moral philosopher ...

. Five of Hydro-Québec's hydroelectric facilities are rated above 2,000 MW — the Manic-5, La Grande-4, La Grande-3 La Grande-2-A and Robert-Bourassa stations — while 7 others have a capacity of over 1,000 megawatts.

New projects

The proposed Gull Island facility would consist of a generation station with a capacity of 2,250 MW after 2023. The

Romaine River The Romaine River is a river in the Côte-Nord region of the Canadian province of Quebec. It is long. It is not to be confused with the Olomane River that is to the east and had the same name for a long time. It flows south into the Gulf of Sain ...

project in Quebec started construction in 2009 and will have a capacity of 1550 MW by 2023. The

Site C dam The Site C Dam is an under construction hydroelectric dam on the Peace River, 14 kilometres southwest of Fort St. John in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. It is located approximately 80 kilometres downstream from the W. A. C. Bennett Dam. ...

on the Peace River in British Columbia will have a capacity of 1100 MW in 2025.

International comparison

Gallery

Image:Déversoir, Centrale hydro-électrique Robert-Bourassa.jpg, The Robert-Bourassa (LG-2) spillway, on Quebec's La Grande River. Image: Centrale RB Intérieur.jpg, Inside the

Robert-Bourassa generating station The Robert-Bourassa generating station, formerly known as La Grande-2 (LG-2), is a hydroelectric power station on the La Grande River that is part of Hydro-Québec's James Bay Project in Canada. The station can generate 5,616 MW and its 16 un ...

powerhouse, the largest in North America with an installed capacity of 5,616 MW. Image: Barrage Daniel-Johnson2 edited.jpg, The Daniel-Johnson Dam, on Quebec's Manicouagan River (1968) Image: Centrale du Rocher-de-Grand-Mère.jpg, The 230-MW Rocher-de-Grand-Mère station, on Quebec's Saint-Maurice River (2004) Image: HQ - Centrale de Rapide-Blanc 2.jpg, The 204-MW Rapide-Blanc generating station, on Quebec's Saint-Maurice River (1934) Image: Arrow Lakes Generating Station, British Columbia, Canada.jpg, A hydroelectric dam on the

Arrow Lakes The Arrow Lakes in British Columbia, Canada, divided into Upper Arrow Lake and Lower Arrow Lake, are widenings of the Columbia River. The lakes are situated between the Selkirk Mountains to the east and the Monashee Mountains to the west. Bea ...

References

External links

A View of Canadian Hydroelectric Generation Markets - 2016