Magpie Generating Station
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| Magpie Generating Station | |
|---|---|
 Magpie dam | |
  Magpie Generating Station Location of Magpie Generating Station in Quebec | |
| Official name | Centrale Magpie |
| Country | Canada |
| Location | Rivière-Saint-Jean, Minganie, Quebec |
| Coordinates | 50°19′25″N 64°27′19″W / 50.323611°N 64.45527°W |
| Owner | Hydroméga Services inc |
| Power Station | |
| Coordinates | 50°19′21″N 64°27′16″W / 50.322624°N 64.454306°W |
| Commission date | October 2007 |
| Type | Run-of-the-river |
| Installed capacity | 40.6 MW |
| Annual generation | 185,000 MWh |
The Magpie Generating Station (French: Centrale Magpie) is a 40.6 MW hydroelectric power generating station on the Magpie River in the Côte-Nord region of the province of Quebec, Canada. There was controversy during the planning phase since the dam flooded a stretch of rapids popular with advanced kayakers and rafters. However, the project was approved in 2005 and commissioned in 2007.
The Magpie Generating Station is 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) west of the village of Rivière-Saint-Jean in the Minganie Regional County Municipality.[1] It is about 150 kilometres (93 mi) east of Sept-Îles.[1] The dam site was an abandoned hydroelectric station at the point where the Magpie River is crossed by Quebec Route 138 near its mouth on the Saint Lawrence.[2] The original 2 MW plant was built in 1958.[3] The new, higher dam raises the river's water level for 1 mile (1.6 km) upstream of the dam.[2]
The power station is a run-of-the-river plant with gross capacity of 40.6 MW. Average annual production is about 185,000 MWh.[4] Next to the complex there is a visitors center, and a hiking trail and footbridge over one of the branches of the river.[1] The interpretation pavilion, observatory and picnic area are on an island near the power station, and are designed to reflect the industrial architecture of the restored plant.[5]
Planning
Hydroméga was the first independent electricity producer in Quebec after the provincial government and Hydro-Québec established a small hydro policy in 1987. The new company's first project was to restore the abandoned Mont-Laurier generating station. This was followed by the Côte Sainte-Catherine power station and Sainte-Marguerite-1 station.[6] In November 2002, Hydroméga was chosen by Hydro-Québec and the Quebec Ministry of Natural Resources to develop and operate a 40.6 MW hydroelectric power station at the mouth of the Magpie River. The terms included a 25-year commitment by Hydro-Québec to lease the hydraulic power and to buy the electricity.[1]
The project involved raising the old dam by 9 metres (30 ft), which would flood the rapids just downstream of the second waterfall, the most popular with rafters and kayakers. On the other hand, creating a reservoir between the first and second falls would make the river upstream of the second fall more accessible to fishers, canoeists and kayakers.[7] There was opposition from environmentalists, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of the Waterkeeper Alliance, who were concerned that the dam would be the first of many.[2]
However, Hydromêga gained support from local mayors based on the jobs created by the construction project and direct payments to eight villages in the economically depressed region.[2] The Bureau of Public Hearings on the Environment (BAPE) gave a favorable report on the project in 2004, but said there should be no further development on the river.[7] In August 2005, the Charest government authorized construction of the dam by decree, which would eliminate the famous rapids.[8]
Development
Hydroméga partnered with the Minganie Regional County Municipality to build the CDN$75 million facility.[1] In October 2006, the 42 MW power station was connected to the grid through the 161 kV Arnaud-Natashquan line.[9] The Magpie Hydroelectric Power Station was commissioned in October 2007. It was formally inaugurated on 20 June 2008.[1]