The Jean-Lesage generating station, (French: Centrale Jean-Lesage) formerly known as Manic-2, is a dam located 22 km from
Baie-Comeau
Baie-Comeau (; 2021 city population 20,687; CA population 26,643) is a city located approximately north-east of Quebec City in the Côte-Nord region of the province of Quebec, Canada. It is located on the shores of the Saint Lawrence River nea ...
built on
Manicouagan River
The Manicouagan or Manicuagan River, often clipped to Manic, is a river in Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada. The river originates in the Manicouagan Reservoir and flows approximately south, emptying into the Saint Lawrence River near Baie-Com ...
in
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
, Canada. It was constructed between 1961 and 1967. On June 22, 2010, the dam and the generating station were renamed in honour of
Jean Lesage
Jean Lesage (; 10 June 1912 – 12 December 1980) was a Canadian lawyer and politician from Quebec. He served as the 19th premier of Quebec from 22 June 1960 to 16 June 1966. Alongside Georges-Émile Lapalme, René Lévesque and others, he is ...
, who was premier of Quebec during the construction of the complex.
Dam
Jean-Lesage is a gravity
dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...
"hollow type" with a spillway made of concrete. The reservoir starts at the base of
Manic-3. The dam is considered
run-of-the-river
Run-of-river hydroelectricity (ROR) or run-of-the-river hydroelectricity is a type of hydroelectric generation plant whereby little or no water storage is provided. Run-of-the-river power plants may have no water storage at all or a limited amou ...
and is fitted with eight
Francis turbines, with a total capacity of .
Construction and commissioning
Construction started on October 24, 1961. From June 2 to December 8, 1962, diversion tunnels were driven through the mountain to divert the river's flow around the construction site. The cofferdam that forced the water to use the diversion tunnels was completed on July 30, 1963, construction of the dam started the day after. By autumn 1965, the dam and powerhouse were sufficiently complete to put the first group of five turbines into service, the others were put in service at the end of construction. Commissioning was completed in 1967.
Tourism
It is possible to visit the complex during summer between the end of June and start of September. The 90-minute visit consists of a guided tour by Hydro-Quebec which lets the visitor enter cavities of the dam and see a turbine in action within the powerhouse.
See also
*
List of largest power stations in Canada
This article lists the largest electrical generating stations in Canada in terms of current installed electrical capacity. Non-renewable power stations are those that run on coal, fuel oils, nuclear, natural gas, oil shale and peat, while renew ...
*
Manic-3
*
Daniel-Johnson Dam
*
Manicouagan Reservoir
Manicouagan Reservoir (also Lake Manicouagan) is an annular lake in central Quebec, Canada, covering an area of . The lake island in its centre is known as René-Levasseur Island, and its highest point is Mount Babel. The structure was create ...
References
External links
Pictures and information from Hydro-Quebec*{{in lang, fr}
Energy infrastructure completed in 1967
Manicouagan-Outardes hydroelectric project
Run-of-the-river power stations