Sir Adam Beck Hydroelectric Generating Stations are two hydroelectric generating stations in

Niagara Falls, Ontario Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada, adjacent to, and named after, Niagara Falls. As of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census, the city had a population of 94,415. The city is located on the Niagara Peninsula along the western bank of the ...

, Canada. Sir Adam Beck Generating Station I, Sir Adam Beck Generating Station II and the Sir Adam Beck Pump Generating Station are all owned by

Ontario Power Generation Ontario Power Generation Inc. (OPG) is a Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation and "government business enterprise" that is responsible for approximately half of the electricity generation in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is w ...

. Following the development of several smaller generating stations around Niagara Falls in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Province of

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

authorized the construction of the first major publicly owned generating station in the province. At the time it was built, it was the largest hydroelectric generating station in the world. The stations divert water from the Niagara and Welland rivers above Niagara Falls which is then released into the lower portion of the Niagara River, and together produce up to .

Adam Beck I

Control room of the Queenston power generating plant

Adam Beck I contains 10 generators and first produced power in 1922. It was originally called the Queenston-Chippawa Hydroelectric Plant 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 from the

Welland River The Welland River (originally called the Chippawa Creek) is a river in the Golden Horseshoe that passes through the Southern Ontario cities of Welland and Niagara Falls. It flows from its source, a Drainage Basin just south of Hamilton, On ...

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

Adam Beck II

Adam Beck II contains 16 generators and first produced power in 1954. The water was first diverted from the

Niagara River The Niagara River ( ) flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, forming part of the border between Ontario, Canada, to the west, and New York, United States, to the east. The origin of the river's name is debated. Iroquoian scholar Bruce T ...

by two five-mile (8 km) tunnels under the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario, that start above the falls. A reservoir was created that permits the holding of water, diverted during the night, for use during the day. Between 2007 and 2013, Adam Beck II underwent major civil engineering projects with the addition of a major underground water supply tunnel built by the Niagara Tunnel Project in order to improve its generation output. Water delivered by the major new tunnel complemented other upgrades to the Sir Adam Beck generating complex, resulting in a significant increase to the efficient use of the

's hydro power. The project's new diameter, long tunnel was officially placed into service on 21 March 2013, helping to increase the generating complex's

nameplate capacity Nameplate capacity, also known as the rated capacity, nominal capacity, installed capacity, maximum effect or gross capacity,Niagara Tunnel Project Technical Facts
NiagaraFrontier.com website, updated November 2012. A CAD 60 million refurbishment of the Pump Generating Station reservoir, built in 1957, was started in 2016. The major 1965 Northeast Blackout of Ontario and several U.S. states occurred on 9 November, after maintenance personnel incorrectly set a protective relay on one of the transmission lines from the Sir Adam Beck Station No. II. The faulty relay later tripped open causing a major blackout created by a series of

cascading failure A cascading failure is a failure in a system of interconnection, interconnected parts in which the failure of one or few parts leads to the failure of other parts, growing progressively as a result of positive feedback. This can occur when a singl ...

s which affected over 30 million people for up to 12 hours.

Water diversion

The open cut Chippawa-Queenston Power Canal diverts water from the

to the stations. Upstream of the

International Control Dam The International Control Dam, also known as the International Control Structure, operated by Ontario Power Generation, is a weir that controls the water diversions from the Niagara River and dispatches the water between the New York Power Authori ...

there are three tunnel intakes which run under Niagara Falls, Ontario, and surface upstream of the Sir Adam Beck Generating Stations. All three tunnel intakes are upstream of the Control Dam, however one of the three tunnels is unseen, under the water, located directly in front of the Control Dam, Control Tower. 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 which pumps water up into the man-made reservoir at night and generates electricity during the day, feeding the water back to the Sir Adam Beck Generating Complex. The International Control Dam, operated by

, 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.The 1950 Niagara Treaty
''International Niagara Board of Control'' Adam Beck and Robert Moses

This treaty, designed to ensure an "unbroken curtain of water" is flowing over the falls, states that during daylight time during the tourist season (1 April to 31 October) there must be of water flowing over the falls, and during the night and off-tourist season there must be of water flowing over the falls. This treaty is monitored by the International Niagara Board of Control.

References

Popular Mechanics ''Popular Mechanics'' (often abbreviated as ''PM'' or ''PopMech'') is a magazine of popular science and technology, featuring automotive, home, outdoor, electronics, science, do it yourself, and technology topics. Military topics, aviation an ...

'', August 1954, pp. 96–97, the delicate controlled blast in 1954 to connect the two reservoirs. {{Niagara Falls Energy infrastructure completed in 1922 Energy infrastructure completed in 1954 Buildings and structures in Niagara Falls, Ontario Ontario electricity policy Hydroelectric power stations in Ontario Ontario Hydro Ontario Power Generation National Historic Sites in Ontario Pumped-storage hydroelectric power stations 1922 establishments in Ontario

Adam Beck I

Adam Beck II

Water diversion

See also

References

External links