Sir Adam Beck Hydroelectric Power Stations

Sir Adam Beck Hydroelectric Power Stations
The Adam Beck stations as seen from the air; the northern dam (nearest) is Adam Beck I and the southern is Adam Beck II.
Location of Sir Adam Beck Hydroelectric Power Stations
Country	Canada
Location	Niagara Falls, Ontario
Coordinates	43°08′51″N 79°02′41″W
Commission date	Adam Beck I 1922, Adam Beck II 1954
Power station information
Generation units	26 (Adam Beck I 10, Adam Beck II 16)
Power generation information
Installed capacity	1,926 MW
National Historic Site of Canada
Official name: Queenston-Chippawa Hydro-Electric Development National Historic Site of Canada
Designated:	1990

Sir Adam Beck Hydroelectric Power Stations are two hydroelectric power stations in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. The stations divert water from the Niagara and Welland Rivers above the falls which is then released into the lower portion of the river, and together produce up to 1,926 MW.

Adam Beck I

The Chippawa-Queenston Power Canal was the first of three sources to provide water to the Power Stations

Adam Beck I contains 10 generators and first produced power in 1922. It was originally called the Queenston Chippawa power station and was renamed after Adam Beck in 1950 on the twenty fifth anniversary of his death. The water is diverted through the Chippawa-Queenston Power Canal canal from the Welland River.

As the first large-scale hydroelectric generation project in the world, Adam Beck I was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1990.

Adam Beck II

Adam Beck II contains 16 generators and first produced power in 1954. The water is diverted from the Niagara River above the falls through underground pipes. A reservoir was created that permits the holding of water, diverted during the night, for use during the day. Adam Beck II is currently undergoing major modification in the form of the Niagara Tunnel Project in order to improve its generation output. This new tunnel is expected to be in operation by late 2013.

The Northeast Blackout of 1965 was caused by a tripping transmission line from Adam Beck II.

Water diversion

Plaque honouring Ontario hydro employees who died in World War I and World War II

The open cut Chippawa-Queenston Power Canal diverts water from the Welland River to the stations. Upstream of the International Control Dam are two tunnel inlets which run under Niagara Falls, Ontario and surface 2km upstream of the Sir Adam Beck Generating Stations. The open cut canal and the tunnel canal cross at the "Cross Over" where there is a third channel feeding the 174 MW Pump Generating Station 43°08′40″N 79°03′36″W which pumps the water up into the man-made reservoir at night and generates during the day, feeding the water back to the Sir Adam Beck Generating Complex.

The International Control Dam, operated by Ontario Power Generation, controls the water diversions from the Niagara River and dispatches the water between the New York Power Authority and Ontario Power Generation in accordance with the terms of the 1950 Niagara Treaty. This treaty, designed to ensure an "unbroken curtain of water" is flowing over the falls, states that during daylight time during the tourist season (April 1st to October 31st) there must be 100,000 cubic feet per second (2,800 m³/s) of water flowing over the falls, and during the night and off-tourist season there must be 50,000 cubic feet per second (1,400 m³/s) of water flowing over the falls. This Treaty is monitored by the International Niagara Control Board.

See also

• Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant

External links

• Images of Sir Adam Beck 1 Power Plant Niagara Falls Public Library (Ont.)
• Images of Sir Adam Beck 2 Power Plant Niagara Falls Public Library (Ont.)
• Images of the Queenston-Chippawa Power Canal Niagara Falls Public Library (Ont.)
• "Air Curtain Fences Blast" Popular Mechanics, August 1954, pp. 96-97, the delicate controlled blast in 1954 to connect the two reservoirs.