Menihek Hydroelectric Generating Station
Encyclopedia
The Menihek Hydroelectric Generating Station is a conventional hydroelectric
generating station
at Menihek Lake in Labrador
. The dam and powerhouse are located in the Canadian
province of Newfoundland and Labrador
, 40 km (24.9 mi) south of the isolated town of Schefferville
, Quebec
and two First Nations
communities: Matimekosh
—Lac-John
and Kawawachikamach
. The generating station, two 69 kV power lines and the distribution networks in each community are forming an independent electricity network, off the main North American grid
.
, in a unhabitated region in the northwestern tip of Labrador
, just south of the Laurentian Divide
between the Atlantic
and Arctic
drainage basin
s which delineates the Quebec
–Newfoundland and Labrador
border in the area.
The climate in Schefferville, Quebec
, straddling the demarcation 40 km (25 mi) north of Menihek, is characterized by an average temperature of -5.3 C — which can drop as low as -51 C in the winter and rise to 34 °C (93.2 °F) in the summer. The average frost-free period lasts from mid-June to mid-September. The area receives on average 833 mm (32.8 in) of precipitation
s, roughly divided between solid and liquid.
The terrain in this remote area is rugged and the dam is only accessible by a narrow dirt road
from Schefferville. In a 2002 audit, an Hydro-Québec team described it as in need of urgent repairs.
to meet the power requirements of its iron ore mining
operations at the Knob Lake site, near the company town
of Schefferville. After IOC closed the mine in 1982, it kept the generating station running for two decades. However, in the early 2000s, the mining company gave notice to the Government of Quebec
that it would cease to operate the plant and electric network as of November 1, 2002. In a last-minute deal, Hydro-Québec
agreed to pay for all charges incurred by IOC to run the money-losing network while the governments of Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador and the Native communities tried to reach a deal on a mutually acceptable way to split the assets.
A milestone was reached by the two provinces and their respective utilities on December 14, 2005. IOC would sell all interests in the generating station and part of the transmission lines to provincially owned Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro
(NLH), as is
, for $1, while transferring its Quebec utility operations
to Hydro-Québec for the same amount. Under the deal, the generating station would be operated by NLH employees, but it would be managed by a 4-person operating committee staffed by personnel of both utilities.
Under the 40-year contract, Hydro-Québec is responsible for any operation, maintenance and refurbishment costs of the network's facilities owned by NLH and agrees to buy a firm volume of 40 GWh/year at 3¢/kWh with the remainder at 2¢. Rates are ajusted to the consumer price index
for the duration and NLH has the right to recall power and break the contract with a 6-year notice. The agreement was finalized on November 15, 2007.
gravity dam, a water intake, the powerhouse
and a 4-gate spillway
, with a capacity of 4247 m3/s.
The impoundment of Menihek Lake, which serves as a reservoir
, is completed by three rock-fill
dikes made of glacial till
, for a total length of 6.2 km (4 mi). The Tshiuetin Rail Transportation
shortline railway
(formerly the Menihek Subdivision of the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway
) connecting Schefferville and Sept-Îles
uses the dikes to cross the area.
The powerhouse was designed to receive four generating units but only two were installed when the plant came on stream in 1954. Units 1 and 2 are equipped with fixed-blade propeller-types turbines and each have a capacity of 4,400 kW at a nominal hydraulic head
of10.4 m (34 ft). Each turbine is coupled to a 5,000 kVA
alternator
. In 1960, IOC added unit 3, a 9,900-kW Kaplan turbine
under a 12 m (39 ft) head and its 12,000 kVA alternator.
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...
generating station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
at Menihek Lake in Labrador
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
. The dam and powerhouse are located in the Canadian
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...
province of Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
, 40 km (24.9 mi) south of the isolated town of Schefferville
Schefferville, Quebec
Schefferville is a town in the Canadian province of Quebec. Schefferville is in the heart of the Naskapi and Innu territory in northern Quebec, less than 2 km from the border with Labrador on the north shore of Knob Lake. The town has an incorporated area of . It is located within the...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and two First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
communities: Matimekosh
Matimekosh, Quebec
Matimekosh is a First Nations reserve on Lake Pearce in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada. Together with the Lac-John Reserve, it belongs to the Innu Nation of Matimekush-Lac John...
—Lac-John
Lac-John, Quebec
Lac-John is a First Nations reserve on John Lake in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada, about north-east from the centre of Schefferville. Together with the Matimekosh Reserve, it belongs to the Innu Nation of Matimekush-Lac John...
and Kawawachikamach
Kawawachikamach, Quebec
Kawawachikamach is an Naskapi/Iyiyiw First Nations reserve and community at the south end of Lake Matemace , approximately northeast of Schefferville, Quebec, Canada. It belongs to the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach. The village was built by the Naskapi/Iyiyiw from 1980 to 1983...
. The generating station, two 69 kV power lines and the distribution networks in each community are forming an independent electricity network, off the main North American grid
Electric power transmission
Electric-power transmission is the bulk transfer of electrical energy, from generating power plants to Electrical substations located near demand centers...
.
Geography
The power development is located approximately 600 km (372.8 mi) north of Sept-Îles, QuebecSept-Îles, Quebec
For the islands in north of Brittany, see JentilezSept-Îles is a city in the Côte-Nord region of eastern Quebec, Canada. It is the northernmost town in Quebec with any significant population...
, in a unhabitated region in the northwestern tip of Labrador
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
, just south of the Laurentian Divide
Laurentian Divide
The Laurentian Divide or Northern Divide is a continental divide dividing the direction of water flow in eastern and southern Canada and the northern Midwestern United States. Water north of the height of land flows to the Arctic Ocean by rivers to Hudson Bay or directly to the Arctic...
between the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and Arctic
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
drainage basin
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...
s which delineates the Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
–Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
border in the area.
The climate in Schefferville, Quebec
Schefferville, Quebec
Schefferville is a town in the Canadian province of Quebec. Schefferville is in the heart of the Naskapi and Innu territory in northern Quebec, less than 2 km from the border with Labrador on the north shore of Knob Lake. The town has an incorporated area of . It is located within the...
, straddling the demarcation 40 km (25 mi) north of Menihek, is characterized by an average temperature of -5.3 C — which can drop as low as -51 C in the winter and rise to 34 °C (93.2 °F) in the summer. The average frost-free period lasts from mid-June to mid-September. The area receives on average 833 mm (32.8 in) of precipitation
Precipitation
Precipitation may refer to:* Precipitation , rain, sleet, hail, snow and other forms of water falling from the sky* Precipitation , the condensation of a solid from a solution during a chemical reaction...
s, roughly divided between solid and liquid.
The terrain in this remote area is rugged and the dam is only accessible by a narrow dirt road
Dirt road
Dirt road is a common term for an unpaved road made from the native material of the land surface through which it passes, known to highway engineers as subgrade material. Dirt roads are suitable for vehicles; a narrower path for pedestrians, animals, and possibly small vehicles would be called a...
from Schefferville. In a 2002 audit, an Hydro-Québec team described it as in need of urgent repairs.
History
The facilities were built between 1951 and 1954 by the Iron Ore Company of CanadaIron Ore Company of Canada
Iron Ore Company of Canada is a Canadian-based producer of iron ore. The company was founded in 1949 from a partnership of Canadian and American M.A. Hanna Company...
to meet the power requirements of its iron ore mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
operations at the Knob Lake site, near the company town
Company town
A company town is a town or city in which much or all real estate, buildings , utilities, hospitals, small businesses such as grocery stores and gas stations, and other necessities or luxuries of life within its borders are owned by a single company...
of Schefferville. After IOC closed the mine in 1982, it kept the generating station running for two decades. However, in the early 2000s, the mining company gave notice to the Government of Quebec
Government of Quebec
The Government of Quebec refers to the provincial government of the province of Quebec. Its powers and structure are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867....
that it would cease to operate the plant and electric network as of November 1, 2002. In a last-minute deal, Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec is a government-owned public utility established in 1944 by the Government of Quebec. Based in Montreal, the company is in charge of the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity across Quebec....
agreed to pay for all charges incurred by IOC to run the money-losing network while the governments of Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador and the Native communities tried to reach a deal on a mutually acceptable way to split the assets.
A milestone was reached by the two provinces and their respective utilities on December 14, 2005. IOC would sell all interests in the generating station and part of the transmission lines to provincially owned Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro
Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro
Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro is a provincial Crown corporation that generates and delivers electricity for Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, and the north-eastern areas of the United States. It also delivers voice and data services to customers in some areas...
(NLH), as is
As is
As is is a legal term used to disclaim some implied warranties for an item being sold. Certain types of implied warranties must be specifically disclaimed, such as the implied warranty of title...
, for $1, while transferring its Quebec utility operations
Public utility
A public utility is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service . Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and regulation ranging from local community-based groups to state-wide government monopolies...
to Hydro-Québec for the same amount. Under the deal, the generating station would be operated by NLH employees, but it would be managed by a 4-person operating committee staffed by personnel of both utilities.
Under the 40-year contract, Hydro-Québec is responsible for any operation, maintenance and refurbishment costs of the network's facilities owned by NLH and agrees to buy a firm volume of 40 GWh/year at 3¢/kWh with the remainder at 2¢. Rates are ajusted to the consumer price index
Consumer price index
A consumer price index measures changes in the price level of consumer goods and services purchased by households. The CPI, in the United States is defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as "a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of...
for the duration and NLH has the right to recall power and break the contract with a 6-year notice. The agreement was finalized on November 15, 2007.
Dam and powerhouse
The power development at the Menihek site includes a 228.6 m (750 ft) concreteConcrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
gravity dam, a water intake, the powerhouse
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
and a 4-gate spillway
Spillway
A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of flows from a dam or levee into a downstream area, typically being the river that was dammed. In the UK they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways release floods so that the water does not overtop and damage or even destroy...
, with a capacity of 4247 m3/s.
The impoundment of Menihek Lake, which serves as a 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...
, is completed by three rock-fill
Embankment dam
An embankment dam is a massive artificial water barrier. It is typically created by the emplacement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil, sand, clay and/or rock. It has a semi-permanent waterproof natural covering for its surface, and a dense, waterproof...
dikes made of glacial till
Till
thumb|right|Closeup of glacial till. Note that the larger grains in the till are completely surrounded by the matrix of finer material , and this characteristic, known as matrix support, is diagnostic of till....
, for a total length of 6.2 km (4 mi). The Tshiuetin Rail Transportation
Tshiuetin Rail Transportation
Tshiuetin Rail Transportation Inc. is a Canadian short line railway that stretches 134 miles through the wilderness of western Labrador and northeastern Quebec. It connects Emeril Junction, Labrador with the community of Schefferville, Quebec on the interprovincial boundary...
shortline railway
Shortline railroad
A shortline railroad is a small or mid-sized railroad company that operates over a relatively short distance relative to larger, national railroad networks. The term is used primarily in the USA and Canada...
(formerly the Menihek Subdivision of the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway
Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway
The Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway is a Canadian regional railway that stretches through the wilderness of northeastern Quebec and western Labrador. It connects Labrador City, Labrador, with the port of Sept-Îles, Quebec, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River...
) connecting Schefferville and Sept-Îles
Sept-Îles, Quebec
For the islands in north of Brittany, see JentilezSept-Îles is a city in the Côte-Nord region of eastern Quebec, Canada. It is the northernmost town in Quebec with any significant population...
uses the dikes to cross the area.
The powerhouse was designed to receive four generating units but only two were installed when the plant came on stream in 1954. Units 1 and 2 are equipped with fixed-blade propeller-types turbines and each have a capacity of 4,400 kW at a nominal hydraulic head
Hydraulic head
Hydraulic head or piezometric head is a specific measurement of water pressure above a geodetic datum. It is usually measured as a water surface elevation, expressed in units of length, at the entrance of a piezometer...
of10.4 m (34 ft). Each turbine is coupled to a 5,000 kVA
Volt-ampere
A volt-ampere is the unit used for the apparent power in an electrical circuit, equal to the product of root-mean-square voltage and RMS current. In direct current circuits, this product is equal to the real power in watts...
alternator
Alternator
An alternator is an electromechanical device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy in the form of alternating current.Most alternators use a rotating magnetic field but linear alternators are occasionally used...
. In 1960, IOC added unit 3, a 9,900-kW Kaplan turbine
Kaplan turbine
The Kaplan turbine is a propeller-type water turbine which has adjustable blades. It was developed in 1913 by the Austrian professor Viktor Kaplan, who combined automatically adjusted propeller blades with automatically adjusted wicket gates to achieve efficiency over a wide range of flow and...
under a 12 m (39 ft) head and its 12,000 kVA alternator.
See also
- List of electrical generating stations in Newfoundland and Labrador
- Churchill Falls Generating StationChurchill Falls Generating StationThe Churchill Falls Generating Station is a hydroelectric power station located on the Churchill River in Newfoundland and Labrador. The underground power station can generate 5,428 MW, which makes it the second-largest in Canada, after the Robert-Bourassa generating station. The generating station...
- Labrador boundary dispute
- History of Hydro-QuébecHistory of Hydro-QuébecHydro-Québec is a government-owned public utility established in 1944 by the Government of Quebec. The company is in charge of the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity across Quebec. Its head office is located in Montreal.-Origins:...