Nelson River Hydroelectric Project
Encyclopedia
The Nelson River Hydroelectric Project refers to the construction of a series of dams
and hydroelectric power plants on the Nelson River
in Northern Manitoba
, Canada
. The project began to take shape in the late 1950s, with the planning and construction of the Kelsey dam and hydroelectric power station, and later was expanded to include the diversion of the upper Churchill River
into the Nelson River and the transformation of Lake Winnipeg
, the world's 11th largest freshwater lake, into a hydroelectric reservoir
. The project is owned and operated by Manitoba Hydro
, the electrical utility in the province.
. Long-term firm power sales contracts were signed with Northern States Power Company
of Minneapolis
, Minnesota. Control dams and excavated channels have transformed Lake Winnipeg
into a 25,000 km² reservoir for the Nelson hydroelectric system.
The great distance between generating sites on the Nelson River and load centers in southern Manitoba required the use of high-voltage, direct current (HVDC) electric power transmission
lines to bring the energy to market. When these lines began operation as the Nelson River Bipole
in 1972, they were the longest and highest-voltage direct current lines in the world. The Dorsey converter station is 26 km north-west of Winnipeg
, Manitoba.
(1) Generating station total ratings are approximate.
More than 5000 MW of hydroelectric potential could be developed in Manitoba, which includes 1380 MW at the Conawapa site, 630 MW at the Gull (Keeyask) site, and 1000 MW at the Gillam Island site, all on the lower Nelson river. Other sites have been assessed but are not currently under study for development. All of these developments would require a large increase in electric power exports, since Manitoba load growth will not require this capacity for a generation or more. All of these projects require additional HVDC transmission capacity from the North to the South. One such project, Bipole III, had been discussed with communities on the east side of Lake Winnipeg
, but this area has been reserved by the provincial government, making transmission line construction infeasible. The government and Manitoba Hydro have currently rerouted Bipole III through the west side of Manitoba and construction is slated to begin in 2012. However the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
has stated that they will build Bipole III through the east side and cancel the west route if elected in the 2011 general election
.
In 1976, the Churchill River
diversion project was set into operation. Flow was diverted by a series of channels and control structures into the Nelson River. Instead of developing hydroelectric sites along the Churchill River, water was diverted by control structures and an artificial channel into the Nelson, thereby increasing flow and saving cost of development. The effects of this diversion on pre-existing water levels and the indigenous Cree
and Métis
people continue to be felt to this day. Negotiations between the affected Northern communities and Manitoba Hydro continue, to discuss mitigation measures and compensation for loss of traditional resource areas and sites.
The water level of Lake Winnipeg
is now regulated by Manitoba Hydro as part of the energy generation operations. Some property owners on the southern edge of the lake feel that the levels are now maintained at a higher average level than would be natural, and attribute erosion of their property to the lake level. Manitoba Hydro has pointed out that the regulation project also allows lake level to be lowered, such as during the 1997 floods, thereby preventing significant property damage.
Although development of the Nelson River system was intended to secure a reliable source of low-cost energy to promote industrial development in Manitoba, such development was not forthcoming. Concerns about the magnitude and cost of Hydro development lead the provincial government to start an inquiry into the management of the company. The Commission of Inquiry into Manitoba Hydro reported in 1979 that Manitoba Hydro had not developed resources in the lowest-cost and most efficient way, and made many recommendations for the governance of Manitoba Hydro.
DAMS
Driot-Arnoux Motorsport is a racing team from France, involved in many areas of motorsports. DAMS was founded in 1988 by Jean-Paul Driot and former Formula One driver René Arnoux. It is headquartered near Le Mans, only 2 km from the Bugatti Circuit.- History :The year after its foundation,...
and hydroelectric power plants on the Nelson River
Nelson River
The Nelson River is a river of north-central North America, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Its full length is , it has mean discharge of , and has a drainage basin of , of which is in the United States...
in Northern Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The project began to take shape in the late 1950s, with the planning and construction of the Kelsey dam and hydroelectric power station, and later was expanded to include the diversion of the upper Churchill River
Churchill River (Hudson Bay)
The Churchill River is a major river in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada. From the head of the Churchill Lake it is 1,609 km long. It was named after John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough and governor of the Hudson's Bay Company from 1685 to 1691...
into the Nelson River and the transformation of Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg is a large, lake in central North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada, with its southern tip about north of the city of Winnipeg...
, the world's 11th largest freshwater lake, into a hydroelectric reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
. The project is owned and operated by Manitoba Hydro
Manitoba Hydro
Manitoba Hydro is the electric power and natural gas utility in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1961, it is a provincial Crown Corporation, governed by the Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board and the Manitoba Hydro Act. Today the company operates 15 interconnected generating stations. It has...
, the electrical utility in the province.
The Nelson River Project
Several sites on the Nelson River, with potential of millions of horsepower, had been identified as early as 1911 , but transmission of power to population centers in the south was beyond the state of the art of electric power transmission at that time. Between 1955 and 1960, studies were carried out to determine what resources would be available for future hydraulic generation in Manitoba. The stations at Kelsey, Kettle, Long Spruce and Limestone were built on the lower Nelson River to support both Manitoba load growth and export plans. Limestone, the largest generating station in Manitoba, is located on the Lower Nelson only 90 km from Hudson BayHudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
. Long-term firm power sales contracts were signed with Northern States Power Company
Northern States Power Company
Northern States Power Company was a publicly-traded S&P 500 electric and natural gas utility holding company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that is now a subsidiary of Xcel Energy .-History:...
of Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, Minnesota. Control dams and excavated channels have transformed Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg is a large, lake in central North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada, with its southern tip about north of the city of Winnipeg...
into a 25,000 km² reservoir for the Nelson hydroelectric system.
The great distance between generating sites on the Nelson River and load centers in southern Manitoba required the use of high-voltage, direct current (HVDC) electric power transmission
Electric power transmission
Electric-power transmission is the bulk transfer of electrical energy, from generating power plants to Electrical substations located near demand centers...
lines to bring the energy to market. When these lines began operation as the Nelson River Bipole
Nelson River Bipole
thumb|right|Nelson River Bipoles 1 and 2 terminate at Dorsey Converter Station near [[Rosser, Manitoba]]. The station takes [[HVDC]] current and converts it to [[alternating current|HVAC]] current for re-distribution to consumers...
in 1972, they were the longest and highest-voltage direct current lines in the world. The Dorsey converter station is 26 km north-west of Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba.
Generating stations
| Started | Units | Total power (1) (MW) |
Average annual generation (TWh TWH TWH or twh could refer to:*Tennessee Walking Horse, a breed of horse* Toronto Western Hospital, a hospital in Toronto, Canada* TWH Bus & Coach, a bus company in Romford, England* Terrawatt-hour, measure of electrical energy, 1012 watt-hours... ) |
Head | River | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stations | ||||||
| Kelsey | 1957 | 7 | 211 | 1.8 | 17 m | Lower Nelson Nelson River The Nelson River is a river of north-central North America, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Its full length is , it has mean discharge of , and has a drainage basin of , of which is in the United States... |
| Kettle | 1970 | 12 | 1,228 | 7.1 | 30 m | Lower Nelson |
| Long Spruce | 1977 | 10 | 1,010 | 5.8 | 26 m | Lower Nelson |
| Jenpeg | 1979 | 6 | 97 | 0.9 | 10 m | Lake Winnipeg Lake Winnipeg Lake Winnipeg is a large, lake in central North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada, with its southern tip about north of the city of Winnipeg... outlet |
| Limestone | 1990 | 10 | 1,340 | 7.7 | 28 m | Lower Nelson |
| Planned Stations | ||||||
| Bonald | - | - | 120 | - | - | Upper Churchill Churchill River (Hudson Bay) The Churchill River is a major river in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada. From the head of the Churchill Lake it is 1,609 km long. It was named after John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough and governor of the Hudson's Bay Company from 1685 to 1691... |
| Granville Falls | - | - | 125 | - | - | Upper Churchill |
| Notigi | - | - | 100 | 0.75 | - | Rat |
| Wuskwatim | 2012 | 3 | 200 | 1.55 | 22 m | Burntwood |
| Kepuche | - | - | 210 | - | - | Burntwood |
| Manasan | - | - | 265 | - | - | Burntwood |
| First Rapids | - | - | 210 | - | - | Burntwood |
| Whitemud | - | - | 310 | - | - | Upper Nelson |
| Red Rock | - | - | 190 to 340 | - | - | Upper Nelson |
| Kelsey extension | - | - | 200 | - | - | Lower Nelson |
| Birthday | - | - | 420 | - | - | Lower Nelson |
| Keeyask (Gull) | n/a | - | 600 | 4.4 | - | Lower Nelson |
| Conawapa | n/a | - | 1,380 | 7.0 | - | Lower Nelson |
| Gillam Island | - | - | 1,000 | - | - | Nelson (Mouth) |
(1) Generating station total ratings are approximate.
New Projects
- Wuskwatim Project: Manitoba Hydro, in partnership with Nisichawayasihk Cree NationNisichawayasihk Cree NationThe Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation is a Cree-speaking community of about 4,200 Cree centered in Nelson House, Manitoba, Canada. Nelson House is located about 80 km west of Thompson and is accessible via the mixed paved and gravel Provincial Road 391...
(NCN), has commenced construction of the Wuskwatim generating station on the Burntwood RiverBurntwood RiverThe Burntwood River is a river in northeast Manitoba, Canada between the Churchill River and the Nelson River. Outsiders may know it as the river that passes through Thompson, Manitoba. It is over 200 miles long and flows mostly east to join the Nelson River at Split Lake, Manitoba. Near its...
near ThompsonThompson, ManitobaThompson is a city in northern Manitoba. As the "Hub of the North" it serves as the regional trade and service centre of northern Manitoba. Thompson is located north of the Canada – United States border, north of the provincial capital of Winnipeg, and is northeast of Flin Flon...
. The 200 MW station will have three hydraulic turbine generator units and will have only a small reservoir, and the project has had the most extensive environmental review of any generating project in Manitoba. Participation of the NCN aboriginal community was agreed to in a June 2006 referendum of NCN members. This partnership between NCN and Manitoba Hydro will allow advancement of the in-service date to 2012 and opportunities for additional export revenue. Otherwise the load growth would not require this new capacity until several years later.
- New Hydraulic Generation (Keeyask, Conawapa, Notigi) and HVDC Transmission.: Studies are continuing to permit eventual construction of new generating projects along the Nelson RiverNelson RiverThe Nelson River is a river of north-central North America, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Its full length is , it has mean discharge of , and has a drainage basin of , of which is in the United States...
. The Keeyask (formerly Gull) station will have a capacity of approximately 630 megawatts. Planning studies are continuing, but no final design or construction decisions have been made and no environmental hearings have started. The 1380 megawatt Conawapa project was initiated but postponed indefinitely in 1992 when Ontario HydroOntario HydroOntario Hydro was the official name from 1974 of the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario which was established in 1906 by the provincial Power Commission Act to build transmission lines to supply municipal utilities with electricity generated by private companies already operating at Niagara...
elected not to purchase firm energy from Manitoba. Planning activities are continuing, but no construction commitment has been made and no environmental hearings are currently scheduled. The in-service date would be after that for Wuskwatim and Gull, with current estimated load growth requiring first power in 2021 . The station at Notigi would be rated approximately 100 megawatts, but no in-service date has been set for this project.
More than 5000 MW of hydroelectric potential could be developed in Manitoba, which includes 1380 MW at the Conawapa site, 630 MW at the Gull (Keeyask) site, and 1000 MW at the Gillam Island site, all on the lower Nelson river. Other sites have been assessed but are not currently under study for development. All of these developments would require a large increase in electric power exports, since Manitoba load growth will not require this capacity for a generation or more. All of these projects require additional HVDC transmission capacity from the North to the South. One such project, Bipole III, had been discussed with communities on the east side of Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg is a large, lake in central North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada, with its southern tip about north of the city of Winnipeg...
, but this area has been reserved by the provincial government, making transmission line construction infeasible. The government and Manitoba Hydro have currently rerouted Bipole III through the west side of Manitoba and construction is slated to begin in 2012. However the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
has stated that they will build Bipole III through the east side and cancel the west route if elected in the 2011 general election
Manitoba general election, 2011
The 40th general election of Manitoba was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. It took place on October 4, 2011, due to the new fixed-date election laws...
.
Controversies and issues
Like any other large-scale activity, the Nelson River Hydroelectric Project has not been without controversy.In 1976, the Churchill River
Churchill River (Hudson Bay)
The Churchill River is a major river in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada. From the head of the Churchill Lake it is 1,609 km long. It was named after John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough and governor of the Hudson's Bay Company from 1685 to 1691...
diversion project was set into operation. Flow was diverted by a series of channels and control structures into the Nelson River. Instead of developing hydroelectric sites along the Churchill River, water was diverted by control structures and an artificial channel into the Nelson, thereby increasing flow and saving cost of development. The effects of this diversion on pre-existing water levels and the indigenous Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
and Métis
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
people continue to be felt to this day. Negotiations between the affected Northern communities and Manitoba Hydro continue, to discuss mitigation measures and compensation for loss of traditional resource areas and sites.
The water level of Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg is a large, lake in central North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada, with its southern tip about north of the city of Winnipeg...
is now regulated by Manitoba Hydro as part of the energy generation operations. Some property owners on the southern edge of the lake feel that the levels are now maintained at a higher average level than would be natural, and attribute erosion of their property to the lake level. Manitoba Hydro has pointed out that the regulation project also allows lake level to be lowered, such as during the 1997 floods, thereby preventing significant property damage.
Although development of the Nelson River system was intended to secure a reliable source of low-cost energy to promote industrial development in Manitoba, such development was not forthcoming. Concerns about the magnitude and cost of Hydro development lead the provincial government to start an inquiry into the management of the company. The Commission of Inquiry into Manitoba Hydro reported in 1979 that Manitoba Hydro had not developed resources in the lowest-cost and most efficient way, and made many recommendations for the governance of Manitoba Hydro.
See also
- Electric powerElectric powerElectric power is the rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt.-Circuits:Electric power, like mechanical power, is represented by the letter P in electrical equations...
- Environmental concerns with electricity generationEnvironmental concerns with electricity generationThe environmental impact of electricity generation is significant because modern society uses large amounts of electrical power. This power is normally generated at power plants that convert some other kind of energy into electrical power...
- HydroelectricityHydroelectricityHydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
- Manitoba HydroManitoba HydroManitoba Hydro is the electric power and natural gas utility in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1961, it is a provincial Crown Corporation, governed by the Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board and the Manitoba Hydro Act. Today the company operates 15 interconnected generating stations. It has...
External links
- Manitoba Hydro corporate site
- The Price of Power (Northern Manitoba) (A CBC report)
- Detailed map of existing and future generating stations (Northern Manitoba) (Manitoba Wildlands website)
- Manitoba Hydro Bipole III