Hydro Ottawa's new power plant to open view of Chaudire Falls

In just a few years, the public will get a clear, up-close view of the once-majestic ChaudireFallsfor the first time in more thana century, Hydro Ottawa said Monday.

Excavators are currently busy digging a huge holebeside the siteon the Ottawa River. By 2017,four hydroelectric turbines will be buried below grade, making room for a public viewing platform above.

Hydro Ottawa unveiled the expansion plans Monday for thesite it purchased three years agofrom pulpandpaper companyDomtar. The turbines will generate 29 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 20,000 homes, said chief operating officer Greg Clarke.

The utility's vision is not only to create renewable energy, but also toallow the public to enjoythefalls and to recognize the area's First Nations heritage, as well asthe city's industrial past, Clarke said.

"We chose to make the facility below grade so we wouldn'tobstruct any of the views and be respectful of what makes Chaudireso special," he added.

Hydro Ottawa plans to build three viewing platforms of theChaudireFalls, which have been hidden behind industrial buildings and inaccessible for over a century. The utility will also createa pedestrian and cycling bridge andpreserve two buildings that survived the great fire of 1900. It will incorporate "leading technological solutions" to protect migrating American eel, he added.

It is also in continuing talks with the Algonquins of Ontario and Kitigan ZibiFirst Nationabout creating a First Nations plaza alongside the Ottawa River, Clarke said.

The future of thefalls hasattracted controversy in recent years, especially with regards totheZibi developmentplanned by Windmill Developments.Two womenwere at the Booth Street site todayprotesting against the Hydro Ottawa project for the group Free the Falls, saying they have a strong affiliation for thesacredness of the siteforFirst Nations.

The Algonquins of Ontario meanwhile, have ahave a memorandum of understanding to work with Hydro Ottawa on the project.

"[The site]has been industrialized. That's not about to change, but we can make it better going forward. We can have people close to the water," said LynnClouthier, a member of the Algonquins of Ontario team currentlynegotiating a land claim with the governments of Ontario and Canada.

Money for city coffers

The project will entrench Hydro Ottawa's position as the largest municipally-owned producer of renewable energy in Ontario, said Hydro Ottawa CEO and presidentBryce Conrad. That will allow the utility to produce a total of 99 megawatts of renewable energy, he said.

In November 2012,Hydro Ottawa paid $46 million to buy three hydro-electric plants, a portion of the ring damand water rights from Domtar Corporation. Even before that purchase, Hydro Ottawa ran three generating stations at ChaudireFalls, including two that date back to 1891 and 1900. It also has gas-to-energy plants at the Trail Road and Laflechelandfills.

The expansion project atChaudiere willcost "north of $150 million," said Conrad, adding the biggest challenge is itssheer size.

"It's in the backyard in the city of Ottawa.Everyone can see it. Everyone can hear it when the dynamite goes off," said Conrad."So, just the logistics around a project of this magnitude are challenging."

The new turbines would have a financial payoff for the city as Hydro Ottawa's sole shareholder,saidOntario Energy MinisterBobChiarelli.An agreement with the IndependentElectricity SystemOperator is worth an extra$15 million of revenue annually, he said.

"Inasmuch as the City of Ottawa's past has been tied to this river," said Chiarelli."Today'sChaudireexpansion project confirms thatOttawa's future is also tied to it."