OPG to refurbish hydro stations with $2B boost from province

The Ontario government is supporting Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) plan to refurbish and expand hydroelectric generating stations across Northern Ontario. The $2 billion investment will secure up to 830 megawatts (MW) of clean electricity generation, equivalent to powering 830,000 homes, helping to meet increasing demand from electrification and fueling the province’s growth.

According to Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator, electricity demand in Northern Ontario is forecast to increase by 81 per cent by 2050. To ensure we can meet this demand, OPG and its partner, Andritz Hydropower Canada, will refurbish and expand stations across Northern Ontario including: Otter Rapids, Kipling, Aguasabon, Abitibi Canyon, Manitou Falls, Cameron Falls, Ear Falls and Alexander.

The work includes major rehabilitation of existing generating equipment that will maintain reliable and efficient operations and increase production. Once completed, the stations are expected to produce up to 40 MW of additional clean electricity each year, equivalent to powering over 40,000 more homes.

The work at these stations will reportedly take place over the next 10 years and create more than 1,000 skilled jobs across Northern Ontario. Across its entire fleet, the province and Ontario Power Generation are investing a total of $4.6 billion in Northern Ontario, Niagara Region, Cornwall and Eastern Ontario to refurbish and expand existing stations, to secure more than 5,000 MW of clean electricity and support 1,900 jobs.

“Many of the hydroelectric facilities OPG is refurbishing today were developed as a result of visionary thinking a century or more ago,” said Nick Pender, OPG Senior Vice President – Renewable Generation. “Through investments like this, OPG and the Province are securing low-carbon, reliable electricity generation that Ontarians will need for generations to come.”