Kakabeka Generating Station is a hydroelectric facility operated by

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

on the bank of the

Kaministiquia River The Kaministiquia River is a river which flows into western Lake Superior at the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario. ''Kaministiquia'' (''Gaa-ministigweyaa'') is an Ojibwe word meaning "where a stream flows in island" due to two large islands (McKellar ...

, downstream from

Kakabeka Falls Kakabeka Falls is a waterfall on the Kaministiquia River, located beside the village of Kakabeka Falls in the municipality of Oliver Paipoonge, Ontario, west of the city of Thunder Bay. The falls have a drop of , cascading into a gorge carved ...

in the community of

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, west of

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario; its population i ...

. The plant provides energy to the city of Thunder Bay and area. The station is one of ten hydroelectric stations in Ontario Power Generation's Northwest Plant Group, and is remotely operated from Thunder Bay. Kakabeka Generating Station began operating in 1906, with two hydroelectric generating units. A third unit was added in 1911, and a fourth was added in 1914. Its four units provide a peak output of 25 MW, enough energy to supply 14,000 homes.Ontario Power Generation, ''Kakabeka Falls Generating Station: 100 Years''. (2006) pp. 1. Retrieved 21 September 2007. The station is among the oldest power stations in Ontario,Ontario Power Generation, ''Kakabeka Falls Generating Station: 100 Years''. (2006) pp. 6. Retrieved 21 September 2007. and much of the original equipment from 1906 is still in operation. It was owned and operated by the Kaministiquia Power Company until 1949, when it was purchased from its parent company,

Abitibi Power and Paper Company Abitibi Power and Paper Company Limited was a forest products business based in Montreal, Quebec, that was founded in 1914. The firm was a mainstay of the Canadian newsprint industry in the first half of the 20th century, and now forms part of A ...

, by the

Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario 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 an ...

, which became Ontario Hydro in 1974. After the 1999 restructuring of Ontario Hydro, the plant came under control of Ontario Power Generation.

Overview

The facility includes a

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 ...

located upstream from the powerhouse, which is used to divert and control the water flowing to the generating station. It consists of a main sluice operated from Thunder Bay and six stop log sluices operated manually on-site. The intake structure is located on the eastern end of the dam and water flow into the aqueduct is controlled by three gated intake openings. The aqueduct has an internal diameter of , and terminates at a large surge chamber. Four

penstock A penstock is a sluice or gate or intake structure that controls water flow, or an enclosed pipe that delivers water to hydro turbines and sewerage systems. The term is inherited from the earlier technology of mill ponds and watermills. H ...

s lead from the surge chamber, one for each unit, following the natural slope of the

escarpment An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations. The terms ''scarp'' and ''scarp face'' are often used interchangeably with ''esca ...

. Each is sized appropriately for requirements of the unit at which it terminates. Penstocks carry water from the surge chamber to the generating station, which generates electricity then flows back into the Kaministiquia River.Ontario Power Generation, ''Kakabeka Falls Generating Station: 100 Years''. (2006) pp. 7. Retrieved 21 September 2007. The powerhouse contains its original Francis turbines, manufactured by J. M. Voith in Heidenheim,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

,Ontario Power Generation, ''Kakabeka Falls Generating Station: 100 Years''. (2006) pp. 4. Retrieved 21 September 2007. and its generators were made by the Canadian General Electric Corporation. It has three 7,000 HP units which produce 5.3 MW of electricity each, and a 12,000 HP unit, generating 8.7 MW, for a total output of 24.6 MW.

History

Plans for a hydro electric plant at Kakabeka began in 1896, when

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

entrepreneur Edward Spencer Jenison wished to serve the electricity demands of the nearby towns of Fort William and Port Arthur. Hydroelectricity at this time was in its infancy, and delivery of the electricity to its destination would prove a challenge as

alternating current Alternating current (AC) is an electric current which periodically reverses direction and changes its magnitude continuously with time in contrast to direct current (DC) which flows only in one direction. Alternating current is the form in whic ...

was a relatively new development.Ontario Power Generation, ''Kakabeka Falls Generating Station: 100 Years''. (2006) pp. 2. Retrieved 21 September 2007. Shortly after gaining rights to develop the project, Jenison sold them to three Canadian businessmen, who formed the Kaministiquia Power Company.Ontario Power Generation, ''Kakabeka Falls Generating Station: 100 Years''. (2006) pp. 3. Retrieved 21 September 2007.

Construction

Construction of the facility began in September, 1905 and employed 600 men. It involved the construction of a

railroad siding A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line, branch line, or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end. Sidings often have lighte ...

and temporary station on the CN line from the falls, and the construction of a narrow gauge railway to bring equipment to the site. Three aqueducts measuring in

diameter In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints lie on the circle. It can also be defined as the longest chord of the circle. Both definitions are also valid fo ...

were constructed to bring water from Ecarte Rapids upstream from Kakabeka Falls to the surge chamber. Water then flowed through four

s to the station below, a total decline of . The plant originally consisted of two 7,000 HP Francis turbine units, manufactured by J. M. Voith in Heidenheim,

, which produce 5.3 MW of electricity each. An expansion in 1911 saw the addition of a third 5 MW unit, at which point the powerhouse was expanded to its present size. In 1914, a fourth unit, generating 8.7 MW, and the third aqueduct, were added. In 1998, the three aqueducts were replaced with one large aqueduct with a internal diameter.Ontario Power Generation, ''Kakabeka Falls Generating Station: 100 Years''. (2006) pp. 9. Retrieved 21 September 2007.

References

External links

*{{official, http://www.opg.com/generating-power/hydro/northwest-ontario/Pages/kakabeka-station.aspx *Ontario Power Generation
Kakabeka Falls Generating Station: 100 Years
'.

Ontario Power Generation Hydroelectric power stations in Ontario Dams in Ontario Buildings and structures in Thunder Bay District Kaministiquia River Energy infrastructure completed in 1906 Energy infrastructure completed in 1911 Energy infrastructure completed in 1914 Ontario Hydro 1911 establishments in Ontario

Overview

History

Construction

See also

References

External links