Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro (NL Hydro), commonly known as Hydro, is a provincial

Crown corporation Crown corporation () is the term used in Canada for organizations that are structured like private companies, but are directly and wholly owned by the government. Crown corporations have a long-standing presence in the country, and have a sign ...

that manages the

generation A generation is all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively. It also is "the average period, generally considered to be about 20–⁠30 years, during which children are born and grow up, become adults, and b ...

transmission Transmission or transmit may refer to: Science and technology * Power transmission ** Electric power transmission ** Transmission (mechanical device), technology that allows controlled application of power *** Automatic transmission *** Manual tra ...

and

distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations *Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a varia ...

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...

, as well as portions of

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

and the north-eastern areas of the United States. Between 2007 and 2021, NL Hydro was a subsidiary of the provincial Crown-owned energy holding company Nalcor Energy. Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro's installed generating capacity, (MW), is the fourth largest of all utility companies in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Generating assets consist of 16

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

plants, including the Churchill Falls hydroelectric plant, which is the second largest underground power station in the world, with a rated capacity of 5,428 MW of power, one oil-fired plant, four gas turbines and 26 diesel plants. Every year, Hydro generates and transmits over 80% of the electrical energy consumed by Newfoundlanders and Labradorians – over 6,487 GWh of energy in 2004. Hydro also distributes power directly to 35,000 customers in rural Newfoundland and Labrador. In 1975, the Newfoundland and Labrador Power Commission, a

crown corporation Crown corporation () is the term used in Canada for organizations that are structured like private companies, but are directly and wholly owned by the government. Crown corporations have a long-standing presence in the country, and have a sign ...

originally established to assist in

rural electrification Rural electrification is the process of bringing electrical power to rural and remote areas. Rural communities are suffering from colossal market failures as the national grids fall short of their demand for electricity. As of 2019, 770 million ...

, was renamed ''Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro Corporation''. Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro is the parent company of the Hydro Group of Companies, which comprises * Churchill Falls (Labrador) Corporation Limited (CFLCo) * Lower Churchill Development Corporation Limited (LCDC) * Gull Island Power Company Limited (GIPCo) * Twin Falls Power Corporation Limited (TwinCo)

Grid operations, services and connections

Atlantic power connections

The

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

government commissioned (from SNC-Lavalin) a study in 2009 to consider an Atlantic wide regional

electricity market An electricity market is a system that enables the exchange of electrical energy, through an electrical grid. Historically, electricity has been primarily sold by companies that operate electric generators, and purchased by consumers or electr ...

operator. A $6.2 billion deal between Newfoundland and Labrador's Nalcor Energy and Halifax, Nova Scotia-based Emera to develop Muskrat Falls was announced in November 2010. On November 30, 2012, a federal loan guarantee deal for financing of the project was signed by

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. He is to date the only prime minister to have come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ser ...

, Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Kathy Dunderdale and Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter. On December 17, 2012, the provincial government announced project sanction. Emera received approval to proceed with the Maritime Link from the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board in 2013. Financial close for the loan guarantee occurred in late 2013. On September 23, 2020, the first unit at Muskrat Falls was synced to the electricity grid in Labrador. Power from the remaining three units was originally expected to come online in the fall of 2021.

Generating facilities

Hydroelectric Generating Stations

Labrador (6,271 MW)

* Churchill Falls Generating Station, 5428 MW * Muskrat Falls Generating Station, 824 MW * Menihek Hydroelectric Generating Station, 19 MW * Twin Falls Hydroelectric Generating Station, 225 MW ''(non-operating)'' * Lower Churchill Generation Project, 2250 MW ''(in planning)'' * Mary's Harbour, 240 kW

Newfoundland (1,254 MW)

Non-Utility Generators

* Rattling Brook Hydroelectric Generating Station ( Newfoundland Power) * Deer Lake Hydroelectric Generating Station ( Corner Brook Pulp and Paper) * Corner Brook Stream Hydroelectric Generating Station ( Corner Brook Pulp and Paper)

Thermal (Diesel) Generating Stations

Labrador (32.8 MW)

Happy Valley-Goose Bay Happy Valley-Goose Bay (Inuit: ''Vâli'') is a town in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Located in central Labrador on the coast of Lake Melville and the Churchill River, Happy Valley-Goose Bay is the largest population centre ...

* Mud Lake * Black Tickle * Cartwright *

Charlottetown Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County, Prince Edward Island, Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlott ...

* Hopedale *

L'Anse-au-Loup L'Anse-au-Loup (Town) is located on the banks of L'Anse-au-Loup Brook and the Strait of Belle Isle, in Newfoundland and Labrador province, Canada. History In Quebec-Labrador Peninsula, on the north shore of the Strait of Belle Isle, radiocarbon ...

* Makkovik * Mary's Harbour * Nain * Norman's Bay * Port Hope Simpson *

Postville Postville is a city in Allamakee County, Iowa, Allamakee and Clayton County, Iowa, Clayton counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. It lies near the junction of four counties and at the intersection of U.S. Routes U.S. Route 18 in Iowa, 18 and U.S. Ro ...

Rigolet Rigolet (Inuttitut: ''Tikigâksuagusik'') (population 327) is a remote, coastal Labrador community established in 1735 by French-Canadian trader Louis Fornel. The town is the southernmost officially recognized Inuit community in the world. Loca ...

* St. Lewis * Williams Harbour

Newfoundland (23.5 MW)

* Francois * Grey River *

Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay () is a region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region is named for Hawke Bay, which was named in honour of Edward Hawke. The region's main centres are the cities of Napier and Hastings, while the more rural ...

* McCallum *

Ramea Ramea is a small village in Newfoundland and Labrador located on Northwest Island, one of a group of five major islands located off the south coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The island is approximately 3.14 km long by 0.93 km wide (1.9 ...

(Wind Diesel) * St. Anthony * St. Brendan's

Thermal (Oil) Generating Stations

Newfoundland (490 MW)

* Holyrood Thermal Generating Station

Gas Turbine Generating Stations

Labrador (27 MW)

Newfoundland (223.5 MW)

Hardwoods Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes ...

* Holyrood * Stephenville

Solar Generating Stations

* Mary's Harbour, 190 kW

Highlights in the history of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro

* 1947 – George Desbarats hired as an engineering consultant to undertake a water power survey * 1949 – Premier Joseph R. Smallwood promised to create a public utility * 1954 – On June 22, the Power Commission Act was passed creating the Newfoundland Power Commission, what would become Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro * 1956 – George Desbarats began as Commissioner and sole employee of the Newfoundland Power Commission. * 1956 – British Newfoundland Development Corporation (BRINCO) was formed to explore development at

Bay d'Espoir Bay d'Espoir ( ) is an arm of Hermitage Bay in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, located on the south coast of Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland. Communities in Bay d'Espoir include: Milltown-Head of Bay d'Espoir, Morrisville, St. Alban's, Newfoundlan ...

and later Churchill Falls * 1958 – Premier Smallwood announced his

Rural Electrification Plan In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...

* 1958 – John Ryan succeeds George Desbarats as Chair of the Commission * 1961 – Frank Newbury becomes Chair of the Commission * 1963 – Government passed the Rural Electrification Act, which established power distribution districts (PDDs) to assist non-incorporated municipalities to access electricity where feasible * 1964 – George Hobbs becomes Chair * 1964 – Bay d'Espoir Hydro Electric Development begins * 1965 – Government signed an agreement with Newfoundland Light and Power to give it ownership of the rural lines connected to its system. Any future lines would be jointly constructed. * 1965 – The Newfoundland and Labrador Power Commission Act replaced the 1954 Power Commission Act and created the Newfoundland and Labrador Rural Electrical Authority (REA). The Act also provided for the establishment of a province-wide electrical code. * 1966 – Bay d'Espoir Stage 2 began construction * 1968 – Construction on Holyrood Thermal Generating Station began * 1969 – CFLCo and

Hydro-Québec Hydro-Québec () is a Canadian Crown corporations of Canada#Quebec, Crown corporation public utility headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. It manages the electricity generation, generation, electric power transmission, transmission and electricity ...

sign the Upper Churchill Falls power contract * 1971 – First power from Churchill Falls delivered to

* 1974 – Churchill Falls project was complete. * 1974 – Wallace Read replaces George Hobbs as Chair of the Power Commission. * 1974 - Government acquires part ownership of CFLCo from Brinco * 1975 – Government reforms the Commission into the Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro-Electric Corporation (Hydro) * 1975 – Denis Groom appointed as president and CEO of Hydro * 1975 – Government appoints Douglas Fullerton as the first Chairman of the Board of the Hydro Group of Companies. * 1978 – Stage 3 of the Bay d'Espoir project was officially opened * 1978 –

Victor Young Albert Victor Young (August 8, 1899– November 10, 1956)"Victor Young, Composer, Dies of Heart Attack", ''Oakland Tribune'', November 12, 1956. was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. Young was posthumously awarded the ...

replaced Denis Groom as chairman and CEO of Hydro * 1980 – Hinds Lake Hydro Electric Development came on stream * 1981 – Roddickton hydro generating station opened * 1983 – Upper Salmon Hydro Electric Development plant opened * 1985 – Cat Arm Hydro Electric Development opened making it the second largest hydro project on Newfoundland. * 1985 – Cyril Abery replaced Vic Young as chairman and CEO * 1989 – Paradise River Hydro Electric Development became operational * 1989 – Hydro Place became the official headquarters for the Hydro Group of Companies * 1991 – Cyril Abery resigned as chairman and CEO. He was replaced by David Mercer as president and CEO, while James Chalker assumed the duties of chairman of the board. * 1995 – William Wells replaced David Mercer as president and CEO of Hydro. * 1998 – Two private hydro projects at Star Lake and Rattle Brook were put into service * 2003 – New 40 MW Granite Canal Hydro Electric Development officially opened * 2019 – Jennifer Williams replaces Jim Hynes as President of Hydro * 2021 June 23 – Premier Andrew Furey announced Nalcor Energy would be dismantled and folded into Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro. * 2023 - completion of the 1100km transmission link to Newfoundland as part of the Muskrat Falls. Originally approved in 2012 with an anticipated price tag of around $7.4 billion, the costs of the project had increased to more than $13 billion.

References

External links

Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro
{{Authority control Electric power companies of Canada Crown corporations of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydroelectric power companies of Canada Companies based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Electric power transmission system operators in Canada Canadian companies established in 1954 1954 establishments in Newfoundland and Labrador Energy companies established in 1954