Nelson River Hydroelectric Project

Powerplants (existing and planned) of the Nelson River Hydroelectric Project, Manitoba, Canada (2006). The Churchill Diversion diverts part of the Churchill at South Indian Lake south into the Rat River branch of the Burntwood River.

The Nelson River Hydroelectric Project refers to the construction of a series of dams and hydroelectric power plants on the Nelson River in Northern Manitoba, Canada. The project began to take shape in the late 1950s, with the planning and construction of the Kelsey dam and hydroelectric power station, and later was expanded to include the diversion of the upper Churchill River into the Nelson River and the transformation of Lake Winnipeg, the world's 11th largest freshwater lake, into a hydroelectric reservoir. The project is owned and operated by Manitoba Hydro, the electrical utility in the province.

The Nelson River Project

Several sites on the Nelson River, with potential of millions of horsepower, had been identified as early as 1911 ^[1], but transmission of power to population centers in the south was beyond the state of the art of electric power transmission at that time. Between 1955 and 1960, studies were carried out to determine what resources would be available for future hydraulic generation in Manitoba. The stations at Kelsey, Kettle, Long Spruce and Limestone were built on the lower Nelson River to support both Manitoba load growth and export plans. Limestone, the largest generating station in Manitoba, is located on the Lower Nelson only 90 km from Hudson Bay. Long-term firm power sales contracts were signed with Northern States Power Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Control dams and excavated channels have transformed Lake Winnipeg into a 25,000 km² reservoir for the Nelson hydroelectric system.

The great distance between generating sites on the Nelson River and load centers in southern Manitoba required the use of high-voltage, direct current (HVDC) electric power transmission lines to bring the energy to market. When these lines began operation as the Nelson River Bipole in 1972, they were the longest and highest-voltage direct current lines in the world. The Dorsey converter station is 26 km north-west of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Generating stations

	Started	Units	Total power (1) (MW)	Average annual generation (TWh)	Head	River
Stations
Kelsey	1957	7	211	1.8	17 m	Lower Nelson
Kettle	1970	12	1,228	7.1	30 m	Lower Nelson
Long Spruce	1977	10	1,010	5.8	26 m	Lower Nelson
Jenpeg	1979	6	97	0.9	10 m	Lake Winnipeg outlet
Limestone	1990	10	1,340	7.7	28 m	Lower Nelson
Planned Stations
Bonald	-	-	120	-	-	Upper Churchill
Granville Falls	-	-	125	-	-	Upper Churchill
Notigi	-	-	100	0.75	-	Rat
Wuskwatim	2012	3	200	1.55	22 m	Burntwood
Kepuche	-	-	210	-	-	Burntwood
Manasan	-	-	265	-	-	Burntwood
First Rapids	-	-	210	-	-	Burntwood
Whitemud	-	-	310	-	-	Upper Nelson
Red Rock	-	-	190 to 340	-	-	Upper Nelson
Kelsey extension	-	-	200	-	-	Lower Nelson
Birthday	-	-	420	-	-	Lower Nelson
Keeyask (Gull)	n/a	-	600	4.4	-	Lower Nelson
Conawapa	n/a	-	1,380	7.0	-	Lower Nelson
Gillam Island	-	-	1,000	-	-	Nelson (Mouth)

(1) Generating station total ratings are approximate.

New Projects

• Wuskwatim Project: Manitoba Hydro, in partnership with Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (NCN), ^[2] has commenced construction of the Wuskwatim generating station on the Burntwood River near Thompson. The 200 MW station will have three hydraulic turbine generator units and will have only a small reservoir, and the project has had the most extensive environmental review of any generating project in Manitoba.^{[citation needed]} Participation of the NCN aboriginal community was agreed to in a June 2006 referendum of NCN members. This partnership between NCN and Manitoba Hydro will allow advancement of the in-service date to 2012 and opportunities for additional export revenue. Otherwise the load growth would not require this new capacity until several years later.

• New Hydraulic Generation (Keeyask, Conawapa, Notigi) and HVDC Transmission.:^[3] Studies are continuing to permit eventual construction of new generating projects along the Nelson River. The Keeyask (formerly Gull) station will have a capacity of approximately 630 megawatts. Planning studies are continuing, but no final design or construction decisions have been made and no environmental hearings have started. The 1380 megawatt Conawapa project was initiated but postponed indefinitely in 1992 when Ontario Hydro elected not to purchase firm energy from Manitoba. Planning activities are continuing, but no construction commitment has been made and no environmental hearings are currently scheduled. The in-service date would be after that for Wuskwatim and Gull, with current estimated load growth requiring first power in 2021 ^[4]. The station at Notigi would be rated approximately 100 megawatts, but no in-service date has been set for this project.

More than 5000 MW of hydroelectric potential could be developed in Manitoba, which includes 1380 MW at the Conawapa site, 630 MW at the Gull (Keeyask) site, and 1000 MW at the Gillam Island site, all on the lower Nelson river. Other sites have been assessed but are not currently under study for development. All of these developments would require a large increase in electric power exports, since Manitoba load growth will not require this capacity for a generation or more. All of these projects require additional HVDC transmission capacity from the North to the South. One such project, Bipole III, had been discussed with communities on the east side of Lake Winnipeg, but this area has been reserved by the provincial government, making transmission line construction infeasible. The government and Manitoba Hydro have currently rerouted Bipole III through the west side of Manitoba and construction is slated to begin in 2012. However the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba has stated that they will build Bipole III through the east side and cancel the west route if elected in the 2011 general election.

Controversies and issues

Like any other large-scale activity, the Nelson River Hydroelectric Project has not been without controversy.

In 1976, the Churchill River diversion project was set into operation. Flow was diverted by a series of channels and control structures into the Nelson River. Instead of developing hydroelectric sites along the Churchill River, water was diverted by control structures and an artificial channel into the Nelson, thereby increasing flow and saving cost of development. The effects of this diversion on pre-existing water levels and the indigenous Cree and Métis people continue to be felt to this day. Negotiations between the affected Northern communities and Manitoba Hydro continue, to discuss mitigation measures and compensation for loss of traditional resource areas and sites.

The water level of Lake Winnipeg is now regulated by Manitoba Hydro as part of the energy generation operations. Some property owners on the southern edge of the lake feel that the levels are now maintained at a higher average level than would be natural, and attribute erosion of their property to the lake level. Manitoba Hydro has pointed out that the regulation project also allows lake level to be lowered, such as during the 1997 floods, thereby preventing significant property damage.

Although development of the Nelson River system was intended to secure a reliable source of low-cost energy to promote industrial development in Manitoba, such development was not forthcoming. ^[5] Concerns about the magnitude and cost of Hydro development lead the provincial government to start an inquiry into the management of the company. The Commission of Inquiry into Manitoba Hydro reported in 1979 that Manitoba Hydro had not developed resources in the lowest-cost and most efficient way, and made many recommendations for the governance of Manitoba Hydro. ^[6]

See also

• Electric power
• Environmental concerns with electricity generation
• Hydroelectricity
• Manitoba Hydro

References

1. ^ Sifton, Clifford, Sir; Denis, Leo German; White, Arthur V (1911). Water-Powers of Canada. Ottawa: Commission of Conservation / Mortimer. p. 289. OCLC 3278995. http://www.archive.org/details/waterpowersofcan00canarich. Retrieved 2009-05-10. 
2. ^ "WPLP Structure". Wuskwatim Power Limited Partnership. http://www.wuskwatim.ca/corpstructure.html. Retrieved 2009-05-10. 
3. ^ Bipole III^{[dead link]}
4. ^ "Conawapa Generating Station". Manitoba Hydro. http://www.hydro.mb.ca/projects/conawapa.shtml. Retrieved 2009-05-10. 
5. ^ Karl Froschauer, White Gold: Hydroelectric Power in Canada UBC Press, 1999 ISBN 0774807091 chapter 6
6. ^ G. E. Tritschler Commission of Inquiry into Manitoba Hydro Final Report December 1979

• Bateman, Leonard A. The Nelson River - An Energy Source, paper presented to the 89th Annual Congress of the Engineering Institute of Canada, October 1975
• Bateman, Leonard A (Spring 2005). "A History of Electric Power Development in Manitoba" (PDF). IEEE Canadian Review 49: 22–25. ISSN 1481-2002. OCLC 32561078. http://www.ieee.ca/canrev/cr49/pages22-25.pdf. Retrieved 2009-05-10. 
• "Draft Minutes - Meeting Sept. 9–11, 2003" (PDF). Hudson Bay Ocean Working Group. 2003-12-01. Archived from the original on 2005-12-22. http://web.archive.org/web/20051222174052/http://umanitoba.ca/academic/institutes/natural_resources/im-node/hudson_bay/sept_03_minutes.pdf. Retrieved 2009-05-10. 

External links

• Manitoba Hydro corporate site
• The Price of Power (Northern Manitoba) (A CBC report)
• Detailed map of existing and future generating stations (Northern Manitoba) (Manitoba Wildlands website)
• Manitoba Hydro Bipole III