Outardes-3 is a hydroelectric

power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many ...

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 Outardes River northwest of

Baie-Comeau Baie-Comeau (; 2021 city population 20,687; CA population 26,643) is a city located approximately north-east of Quebec City in the Côte-Nord region of the province of Quebec, Canada. It is located on the shores of the Saint Lawrence River nea ...

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 ...

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 ...

. The power station was commissioned in 1969 and is

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 ...

. Outardes-3 was built in conjunction with the Manicouagan-Outardes project and is located downstream of

Outardes-4 Outardes-4 is a hydroelectric power station and dam on the Outardes River northwest of Baie-Comeau, Quebec, Canada. The power station was commissioned in 1969 and is supplied by the Outardes-4 Reservoir which is created by seven additional dams. ...

. Only a high concrete dam was needed to exploit of hydraulic head as the dam raised up water into the existing Lake Tirebouchon. Raising the water in the lake allowed it to rise east near the actual power station downstream. Near the eastern portion of the lake, two depressions were filled in with small

dike Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to: General uses * Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian" * Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment * Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice * Dikes ...

s to withhold the higher lake level, one of which supports a concrete

spillway A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure th ...

. From the intake on the northern portion of the concrete dam, water is fed via four

penstocks 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 ...

towards the

underground power station An underground power station is a type of hydroelectric power station constructed by excavating the major components (e.g. machine hall, penstocks, and tailrace) from rock, rather than the more common surface-based construction methods. One or mor ...

. Water being discharged from the power station enters a long and high tunnel before being returned to the river.

Notes

References

* {{citation , publisher = Hydro-Québec , last1 = Paradis , first1 = Paul , title = Manic-Outardes , location = Montreal , year = 1967. Energy infrastructure completed in 1969 Manicouagan-Outardes hydroelectric project Run-of-the-river power stations Underground power stations Gravity dams Dams completed in 1969 Dams in Quebec 1969 establishments in Quebec Publicly owned dams in Canada

See also

Notes

References