Natural Resources
May 15, 2017

The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Siobhan Coady, Minister of Natural Resources:

Minister Coady Recognizes 50th Anniversary of Bay d'Espoir Generating Facility

Mr. Speaker, I rise in this Honourable House to recognize a historic milestone - the 50th anniversary of the Bay d'Espoir hydroelectric generating facility. First power flowed on May 12, 1967.

The Bay d’Espoir plant was constructed to provide the island with a large source of affordable hydroelectric power. Bay d'Espoir remains a key part of our energy infrastructure as Hydro continues to improve and develop our electricity resources for future generations.

The Bay d'Espoir system today comprises a string of reservoirs, which connected together extend over 150 kilometres, starting at Victoria Lake, near the road to Burgeo, and running to Long Pond in Bay d'Espoir.

The system has a generating capacity of more than 600 MW of power which is produced from the seven generating units at the Bay d'Espoir hydroelectric generating facility, as well as the hydroelectric facilities at Upper Salmon and Granite Canal which were developed later. Combined, these three hydroelectric generating plants provide about 75 per cent of the hydroelectric power generated on the island.

Currently, an additional 188 kilometre high-voltage transmission line running from Bay d’Espoir to the Avalon is under construction and is expected to be in service this fall. This line ensures stability and reliability of electricity to the Avalon Peninsula.

Almost 100 people work at the Bay d’Espoir plant providing the power that serves hundreds of thousands of people across Newfoundland every day. I applaud them on the work they do.

Thank you.

2017 05 15                              2:05 p.m.