Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro (NL Hydro), commonly known as Hydro, is a provincial

Crown corporation A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a government entity which is established or nationalised by the ''national government'' or ''provincial government'' by an executive order or an act of legislation in order to earn profit for the government ...

that generates and delivers electricity for

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 ...

, as well as portions of

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 thirte ...

and the north-eastern areas of the United States. Since 2007, Hydro has been a subsidiary of the provincial Crown-owned energy holding company Nalcor Energy. Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro's installed generating capacity, 8034

megawatt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James ...

s (MW), is the fourth largest of all utility companies in

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 to ...

. Generating assets consist of 12

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 an ...

plants, including the Churchill Falls hydroelectric plant, which is the second largest

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 ...

in the world, with a rated capacity of 5,428 MW of power, one oil-fired plant, four gas turbines and 26 diesel plants. Every year, Hydro generates and transmits over 80% of the electrical energy consumed by Newfoundlanders and Labradorians – over 6,487 GWh of energy in 2004. Hydro also distributes power directly to 35,000 customers in rural Newfoundland and Labrador. In 1975, the Newfoundland and Labrador Power Commission, a

crown corporation A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a government entity which is established or nationalised by the ''national government'' or ''provincial government'' by an executive order or an act of legislation in order to earn profit for the government ...

originally established to assist in

rural electrification Rural electrification is the process of bringing electrical power to rural and remote areas. Rural communities are suffering from colossal market failures as the national grids fall short of their demand for electricity. As of 2017, over 1 billion ...

, was renamed ''Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro Corporation''. Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro is the parent company of the Hydro Group of Companies, which comprises * Churchill Falls (Labrador) Corporation Limited (CFLCo) * Lower Churchill Development Corporation Limited (LCDC) * Gull Island Power Company Limited (GIPCo) * Twin Falls Power Corporation Limited (TwinCo)

Grid operations, services and connections

Atlantic power connections

The

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

government commissioned (from

SNC-Lavalin SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. is a Canadian company based in Montreal that provides engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services to various industries, including mining and metallurgy, oil and gas, environment and water, infrastructure, a ...

) a study in 2009 to consider an Atlantic wide regional

electricity market In a broad sense, an electricity market is a system that facilitates the exchange of electricity-related goods and services. During more than a century of evolution of the electric power industry, the economics of the electricity markets had u ...

operator.Province (NS) explores options for cleaner power grid
/ref> A $6.2 billion deal between Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro's parent company, Nalcor Energy and Halifax-based

Emera Emera Incorporated is a publicly traded Canadian multinational energy holding company based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Created in 1998 during the privatization of Nova Scotia Power, a provincial Crown corporation, Emera now invests in regulated ele ...

was announced by premiers

Darrell Dexter Darrell Elvin Dexter (born 1957) is a Canadian lawyer, journalist and former naval officer who served as the 27th premier of Nova Scotia from 2009 to 2013. A member of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party, he served as party leader from 2001 t ...

and Danny Williams on November 18, 2010. Nalcor Energy will spend $2.9 billion to build a power generating facility at Muskrat Falls, while Emera will invest $1.2-billion in the Maritime Transmission Link underwater power connection and $600 million in the Muskrat Falls facility in exchange for 20% of the 800-megawatts of capacity.

Generating facilities

Hydroelectric Generating Stations

Labrador (6,271 MW)

Churchill Falls Generating Station The Churchill Falls Generating Station is a hydroelectric underground power station in Labrador. At 5,428 MW, it is the sixteenth largest in the world, and the second-largest in Canada, after the Robert-Bourassa generating station in northwe ...

, 5428 MW * Muskrat Falls Generating Station, 824 MW *

Menihek Hydroelectric Generating Station The Menihek Hydroelectric Generating Station is a conventional hydroelectric generating station at Menihek Lake in Labrador. The dam and powerhouse are located in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, south of the isolated town of S ...

, 19 MW * Twin Falls Hydroelectric Generating Station, 225 MW ''(non-operating)'' * Lower Churchill Generation Project, 2250 MW ''(in planning)'' * Mary's Harbour, 240 kW

Newfoundland (1,254 MW)

* Bay d'Espoir Hydroelectric Generating Facility * Cat Arm Hydroelectric Generating Station *

Granite Canal Hydroelectric Generating Station The Granite Canal Hydroelectric Generating Station is a component of the Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro Corporation's Bay d’Espoir Hydro Electric Development system. The generating station has a rated capacity of 40 MW with an annual average e ...

Hinds Lake Hydroelectric Generating Station The Hinds Lake Generating Station is a hydroelectric power plant located within the Newfoundland Highland forests ecoregion, in western Newfoundland on the eastern shore of Grand Lake. It makes use of 220 m of head between Hinds Lake on the Buc ...

Paradise River Hydroelectric Generating Station The Paradise River Hydroelectric Generating Station is a hydroelectric generating plant located near the mouth of the Paradise River in Newfoundland and Labrador. The plant is owned by Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, and was first synchronized i ...

* Upper Salmon Hydroelectric Generating Station *

Roddickton Roddickton is a community and former town located on the eastern side of the Great Northern Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It amalgamated with the former Town of Bide Arm on January ...

Hydroelectric generating station * Snooks Arm Hydroelectric Generating Station * Venams Bight Hydroelectric Generating Station * Star Lake Hydroelectric Generating Station * Exploits River (Grand Falls) Hydroelectric Generating Station * Exploits River (Bishops Falls) Hydroelectric Generating Station

Non-Utility Generators

* Rattling Brook Hydroelectric Generating Station (

Newfoundland Power Newfoundland Power Inc. is an electric utility owned by Fortis Inc. which is the primary retailer of electric power in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The company was formed by the Royal Securities Corporation of Montreal in 1 ...

) * Deer Lake Hydroelectric Generating Station ( Corner Brook Pulp and Paper) * Corner Brook Stream Hydroelectric Generating Station ( Corner Brook Pulp and Paper)

Thermal (Diesel) Generating Stations

Labrador (32.8 MW)

Happy Valley-Goose Bay Happy Valley-Goose Bay (Inuit: ''Vâli'') is a town in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Located in the central part of Labrador on the coast of Lake Melville and the Churchill River, Happy Valley-Goose Bay is the largest pop ...

* Mud Lake *

Black Tickle Black Tickle ( Inuttitut: ''Kikkertet'') is a " remote Aboriginal settlement" and designated place in Newfoundland and Labrador on the Island of Ponds. In the 2021 census Black Tickle had a population of 87. Locations in Labrador south of Blac ...

* Cartwright *

Charlottetown Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlottetown was an unincorporated town until it was incorporated as a city in ...

Davis Inlet Davis Inlet was a Naskapi community in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, formerly inhabited by the Mushuau Innu First Nation. It was named for its adjacent fjord, itself named for English explorer, John Davis, who in 1587 char ...

* Hopedale *

L'Anse-au-Loup L'Anse-au-Loup is a town in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The town had a population of 692 in the Canada 2021 Census, up from 558 in 2016. In the Canada 2006 Census, there were 593 inhabitants. Common Surnames are Barney, ...

* Makkovik * Mary's Harbour * Nain *

Norman's Bay Norman's Bay is a local service district and designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is an isolated community at the head of Norman Bay, an extension of Martin Bay. The population of the community was 15 in th ...

Port Hope Simpson Port Hope Simpson is a town located on the southeastern Labrador coast, from the Quebec/Southern Labrador border in Canada. It was founded in 1934 as a company town. With the completion of the Trans-Labrador Highway that crosses the region, th ...

Postville Postville is a village in Allamakee and Clayton counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. It lies near the junction of four counties and at the intersection of U.S. Routes 18 and 52 and Iowa Highway 51, with airport facilities in the neighboring c ...

Rigolet Rigolet (Inuttitut: ''Tikigâksuagusik'') (population 310) is a remote, coastal Labrador community established in 1735 by French-Canadian trader Louis Fornel. The town is the southernmost officially recognized Inuit community in the world. Locat ...

* St. Lewis * Williams Harbour

Newfoundland (23.5 MW)

* Francois *

Grey River Grey River may refer to: *Grey River (New Zealand), a major river in the west of New Zealand's South Island. * Grey River (Victoria), Australia *Grey River, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada * Grey River (Chile) See also * Little Grey River, a ...

Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region i ...

* Little Bay Islands * McCallum * Ramea (Wind Diesel) * St. Anthony * St. Brendan's

Thermal (Oil) Generating Stations

Newfoundland (490 MW)

Holyrood Thermal Generating Station __NOTOC__ The Holyrood Thermal Electric Generating Station built by Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro Corporation is located near the community of Holyrood, in Conception Bay, Newfoundland, Canada. Overview The initial installation included two ...

Gas Turbine Generating Stations

Labrador (27 MW)

Newfoundland (223.5 MW)

Hardwoods Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes from ...

* Holyrood * Stephenville

Solar Generating Stations

* Mary's Harbour, 190 kW

Highlights in the history of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro

* 1947 – George Desbarats hired as an engineering consultant to undertake a water power survey * 1949 – Premier J.R. Smallwood promised to create a public utility * 1954 – On June 22, the Power Commission Act was passed creating the Newfoundland Power Commission, what would become Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro * 1956 – George Desbarats began as Commissioner and sole employee of the Newfoundland Power Commission. * 1956 – British Newfoundland Development Corporation (BRINCO) was formed to explore development at

Bay d'Espoir Bay d'Espoir ( ) is an arm of Hermitage Bay in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, located on the south coast of Newfoundland. Communities in Bay d'Espoir include: Milltown-Head of Bay d'Espoir, Morrisville, St. Alban's, St. Joseph's Cove, St. Veron ...

and later Churchill Falls * 1958 – Premier Smallwood announced his Rural Electrification Plan * 1958 – John Ryan succeeds George Desbarats as Chair of the Commission * 1961 – Frank Newbury becomes Chair of the Commission * 1963 – Government passed the Rural Electrification Act, which established power distribution districts (PDDs) to assist non-incorporated municipalities to access electricity where feasible * 1964 – George Hobbs becomes Chair * 1964 – Bay d'Espoir Hydro Electric Development begins * 1965 – Government signed an agreement with Newfoundland Light and Power to give it ownership of the rural lines connected to its system. Any future lines would be jointly constructed. * 1965 – The Newfoundland and Labrador Power Commission Act replaced the 1954 Power Commission Act and created the

Newfoundland and Labrador Rural Electrical Authority Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic Canada, Atlantic region. The province comprises t ...

(REA). The Act also provided for the establishment of a province-wide electrical code. * 1966 – Bay d'Espoir Stage 2 began construction * 1968 – Construction on

began * 1969 – CFLCo and

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 t ...

sign the Upper Churchill Falls power contract * 1971 – First power from Churchill Falls delivered to

* 1974 – Churchill Falls project was complete. * 1974 – Wallace Read replaces George Hobbs as Chair of the Power Commission. * 1974 - Government acquires part ownership of CFLCo from Brinco * 1975 – Government reforms the Commission into the Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro-Electric Corporation (Hydro) * 1975 – Denis Groom appointed as president and CEO of Hydro * 1975 – Government appoints Douglas Fullerton as the first Chairman of the Board of the Hydro Group of Companies. * 1978 – Stage 3 of the Bay d'Espoir project was officially opened * 1978 –

Victor Young Albert Victor Young (August 8, 1899– November 10, 1956)"Victor Young, Composer, Dies of Heart Attack", ''Oakland Tribune'', November 12, 1956. was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. Biography Young is commonly said to ...

replaced Denis Groom as chairman and CEO of Hydro * 1980 – Hinds Lake Hydro Electric Development came on stream * 1981 –

hydro generating station opened * 1983 – Upper Salmon Hydro Electric Development plant opened * 1985 –

Cat Arm Hydro Electric Development The Cat Arm Generating Station is located on the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland and makes use of 380.5 m of head between the reservoir and White Bay. Each of the two units operates with an average rated flow of 20 m3/s to generate a to ...

opened making it the second largest hydro project on Newfoundland. * 1985 – Cyril Abery replaced Vic Young as chairman and CEO * 1989 – Paradise River Hydro Electric Development became operational * 1989 – Hydro Place became the official headquarters for the Hydro Group of Companies * 1991 – Cyril Abery resigned as chairman and CEO. He was replaced by David Mercer as president and CEO, while James Chalker assumed the duties of chairman of the board. * 1995 – William Wells replaced David Mercer as president and CEO of Hydro. * 1998 – Two private hydro projects at Star Lake and Rattle Brook were put into service * 2003 – New 40 MW Granite Canal Hydro Electric Development officially opened * 2019 - Jennifer Williams replaces Jim Hynes as President of Hydro

References

External links

Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro

The loophole in the 1969 Hydro-Quebec/CFLCo. agreement
{{Authority control Electric power companies of Canada Crown corporations of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydroelectric power companies of Canada Companies based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Electric power transmission system operators in Canada Canadian companies established in 1954 1954 establishments in Newfoundland and Labrador Energy companies established in 1954