Outardes-4 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 supplied by the Outardes-4 Reservoir which is created by seven additional dams.

Construction

Outardes-4 was built in conjunction with the Manicouagan-Outardes project and is the northernmost power station on the Outardes River. Construction on the diversion tunnel for the Outardes River began in September 1964 and was finished in April 1965. A

cofferdam A cofferdam is an enclosure built within a body of water to allow the enclosed area to be pumped out. This pumping creates a dry working environment so that the work can be carried out safely. Cofferdams are commonly used for construction or re ...

was constructed upstream to direct the river into the diversion tunnel; none was built downstream because the river's grade was sufficient. Once the river was diverted, work commenced on Dam No. 1's foundation. Workers and engineers cleared

alluvial Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. All ...

material from the riverbed but ran into uplift faults and pot-holes. Around six pot-holes with to diameters and up to deep had to be excavated, partly by hand. Eventually, those under the dam's foundation were filled in with concrete.

Dams

The Outardes-4 Reservoir is impounded by eight different dams. The main dam is Dam No. 1 and is a rock-fill, earthen embankment dam along with Dam No. 2. The six other dams are saddle and auxiliary dams; one is rock and earth-fill, four are earth-fill

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 and one serves as a controlled 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 ...

. Dam No. 1 is long and high and made of of material while the second largest dam, No. 2 is long and high. Dam No. 2 is located north of No. 1 on a side-valley is made of of material. Water from the reservoir helps regulate river flow and power generation at the downstream Outardes-3 and Outardes-2 power stations.

Power station

The Outardes-4 power station is located on the west bank of the Outardes River, adjacent to Dam No. 1. Four long, wide

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 deliver water from the reservoir to each of the power station's turbines. The power station was commissioned in 1969 and currently has a 785 MW capacity. The power station's turbines were rehabilitated in 2009 which had increased generation capacity by 56 MW.

Notes

References

* {{citation , publisher = Hydro-Québec , last1 = Paradis , first1 = Paul , title = Manic-Outardes , location = Montreal , year = 1967. Dams in Quebec Manicouagan-Outardes hydroelectric project Dams completed in 1969 Energy infrastructure completed in 1969 Dams on the Outardes River Publicly owned dams in Canada

Construction

Dams

Power station

See also

Notes

References