Otter Rapids Generating Station
Encyclopedia
Otter Rapids Generating Station is a dam
and hydroelectric
power plant located in geographic Pitt Township in the Unorganized North Part
of Cochrane District in Northeastern
Ontario
, Canada
. Owned by Ontario Power Generation
, this 182 MW station is part of the Northeast Plant Group. The Ontario Northland Railway
runs past this facility.
Preliminary surveys of the site were conducted in 1945. In 1951 additional site information was gathered with studies and estimates refined. Approval under the Navigable Waters Protection Act was received in October 1958 and the first generating unit came online on September 26, 1961.
The Otter Rapids Generating Station was the first of four generating stations completed on the Abitibi River
in the James Bay
watershed
.
A community of employees and their families inhabited the adjacent colony called Otter Rapids
. This community of over 1,000 people is well equipped a bank, post office, snack bar, grocery store, billiard hall, bowling alley, curling rink, hockey rink, fire hall, 10-bed hospital and auditorium.
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
and hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity 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...
power plant located in geographic Pitt Township in the Unorganized North Part
Unorganized North Cochrane District
Unorganized Cochrane North Part is an unorganized area in the District of Cochrane in northeastern Ontario, Canada. It comprises all parts of the district north of Timmins and Iroquois Falls which are not part of an incorporated municipality.-Communities:...
of Cochrane District in Northeastern
Northeastern Ontario
Northeastern Ontario is the region within the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and east of Lakes Superior and Huron.Northeastern Ontario consists of the districts of Algoma, Sudbury, Cochrane, Timiskaming, Nipissing and Manitoulin; and the single-tier municipality of Greater...
Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, 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...
. Owned by Ontario Power Generation
Ontario Power Generation
Ontario Power Generation is a public company wholly owned by the Government of Ontario. OPG is responsible for approximately 70% of the electricity generation in the Province of Ontario, Canada. Sources of electricity include nuclear, hydroelectric, solar, wind, and fossil fuel...
, this 182 MW station is part of the Northeast Plant Group. The Ontario Northland Railway
Ontario Northland Railway
The Ontario Northland Railway is a Canadian railway operated by the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, a provincial Crown agency of the government of Ontario....
runs past this facility.
Preliminary surveys of the site were conducted in 1945. In 1951 additional site information was gathered with studies and estimates refined. Approval under the Navigable Waters Protection Act was received in October 1958 and the first generating unit came online on September 26, 1961.
The Otter Rapids Generating Station was the first of four generating stations completed on the Abitibi River
Abitibi River
The Abitibi River is a river in northeastern Ontario, Canada, which flows northwest from Lake Abitibi to join the Moose River which empties into James Bay. This river is long.The river was an important fur trading route for the Hudson's Bay Company...
in the James Bay
James Bay
James Bay is a large body of water on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean. James Bay borders the provinces of Quebec and Ontario; islands within the bay are part of Nunavut...
watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
.
A community of employees and their families inhabited the adjacent colony called Otter Rapids
Otter Rapids, Ontario
Otter Rapids, also known as White Otter Rapids is an unincorporated place and dispersed rural community in geographic Pitt Township in the Unorganized North Part of Cochrane District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada...
. This community of over 1,000 people is well equipped a bank, post office, snack bar, grocery store, billiard hall, bowling alley, curling rink, hockey rink, fire hall, 10-bed hospital and auditorium.