St. Lawrence Seaway Hydroelectric Generating Stations
Three hydroelectric generating stations have been constructed along the Welland Canal to capture and repurpose the substantial flows of water.
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The Welland Canal is a shipping canal located in the Niagara Region connecting Lake Ontario with Lake Erie. It forms a key section of the St. Lawrence Seaway traversing the Niagara Peninsula from Port Weller to Port Colborne. The waterway allows ships to ascend and descend the Niagara Escarpment while bypassing Niagara Falls. The existing (fourth edition) of the Welland Canal has been in operation since 1932, carrying over 3000 ships annually.
The canal has eight different locks over its 43km length, holding enormous amounts of water in order to function properly. In 2005, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation requested that private industry develop generation facilities at Locks 1, 2 and 3. The hydroelectric generating stations would be developed within the existing control weirs to take advantage of continuous waterflow that is available.
Rankin Renewable Power Inc. was formed by Rankin Construction Inc. (Rankin) to submit the design-build proposal, and in 2007, Rankin was successful. Along with the expertise of design consultants Hatch, the team was able to develop a complete design in order to begin construction in December of 2007.
In order to meet the project schedule of the St. Lawrence Seaway, Rankin completed the construction of the three generating stations over a 2-year duration. All work was completed during the non-navigation season of the Welland Canal. Rankin was capable of completing the entire construction through the December – March non-navigation months, while avoiding impeding Welland Canal operations.
Rankin was able to construct each of the three hydroelectric generating stations on schedule and budget for the St. Lawrence Seaway. During the construction phase, Rankin self performed all site excavation, sheetpiling & cofferdam installations, concrete forming and pouring, installation of all turbine components, and installation of trash racks.
Following construction, Rankin Renewable Power has remained owner and operator of the three facilities. These facilities produce approximately 39,000MWh of electricity annually, which provides power to well over 3000 Ontario households. With this station fully functional they offset between 7000 and 34,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.
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Client
St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation
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Sector
Renewable Energy
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Project Value
$22,000,000
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Completion Date
March 2009
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