Hydro Ottawa's clean energy expansion officially underway at Chaudière Falls

OTTAWA, Nov. 16, 2015 /CNW/ - Today, distinguished guests and media joined Hydro Ottawa's President and CEO, Bryce Conrad, on a tour of the future site of the utility's new 29-megawatt (MW) facility. Scheduled to be completed in 2017, the new below-ground hydroelectric station will feed into the provincial grid and power 20,000 homes with clean renewable energy every year.

Joined by Minister of Energy, Bob Chiarelli and Jim Durrell, Chair of Hydro Ottawa's Board of Directors, the event marked the official announcement of construction at the historic site.

Hydro Ottawa's vision of the Chaudière Falls expansion project is three-fold: produce clean, renewable energy in an environmentally responsible way; be a public space to be enjoyed by all; and serve as a place of recognition and celebration of Canada's First Nations and Ottawa's industrialist past.

Quick Facts

• The renewable power produced at the facility will feed into the provincial grid and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 115,000 metric tons of CO2 per year.
• The new site will offer safe viewing platforms and greater public access in the form of a defined corridor on the roof of the new below-grade hydro facility.
• Hydro Ottawa is Ontario's largest municipally owned producer of green power.
• Hydro Ottawa's existing green energy portfolio includes four hydroelectric stations at Chaudière Falls and majority shares in landfill gas-to-energy plants at the Trail Road and Laflèche Landfills, representing 39-megawatts (MW).
• Earlier this year, Hydro Ottawa (under its subsidiary, Energy Ottawa) acquired 10 run-of-the-river hydroelectric facilities from Fortis Inc. in Ontario and nearby New York State representing installed green energy capacity of 31-megawatts (MW).
• When the new Chaudière Falls facility is operational, Hydro Ottawa's renewable energy output will total nearly 99-megawatts (MW).  

Quotes

"Hydro Ottawa's Chaudière Falls expansion promises to be an important addition to our community by providing clean, renewable energy to our homes and businesses as a public space where Ottawa residents can come together, and as a celebration of Indigenous Canadians. I applaud Hydro Ottawa for their vision, and look forward to the benefits our community receives from this project‎."
- Bob Chiarelli, Ontario Minister of Energy

"I am extremely proud to be part of an organization that dares to dream of a more renewable energy future for Ottawa. Hydro Ottawa is making that dream a reality with minimal impact on the environment, inviting collaboration from all stakeholders, and by putting Ottawa residents at the centre of its vision for Chaudière. Once again residents will have unobstructed access to this historical site and birthplace of renewable electricity in Ottawa."
- Jim Durrell, C.M., Chair, Board of Directors

About Hydro Ottawa

Hydro Ottawa's core businesses are delivering electricity, generating renewable power and providing energy conservation/management services. Hydro Ottawa is a community-owned, private company, delivering electricity to more than 319,500 customers in Ottawa and Casselman. It is the largest municipally-owned producer of green power in the province, with hydroelectric and landfill gas-to-energy generating facilities. Hydro Ottawa Holding Inc. (Hydro Ottawa) owns and operates two subsidiary companies, Hydro Ottawa Limited and Energy Ottawa Inc.

www.hydroottawa.com

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SOURCE Hydro Ottawa Holding Inc.

Image with caption: "Hydro Ottawa'’s vision of the Chaudière Falls expansion project is three-fold: produce clean, renewable energy in an environmentally responsible way; be a public space to be enjoyed by all; and serve as a place of recognition and celebration of Canada's First Nations and Ottawa’'s industrialist past. (CNW Group/Hydro Ottawa Holding Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20151116_C7392_PHOTO_EN_544447.jpg

Daniel Séguin, Manager, Media and Public Affairs, Hydro Ottawa, Tel: [phone] ext. 345, [email protected]