1 / 29

Parc des Chutes- de-la-Chaudière Mini Hydro Project: Enhancement Through Development

Parc des Chutes- de-la-Chaudière Mini Hydro Project: Enhancement Through Development. Lessons from a success story. by Jean–Pierre Fau and Guy Dufort. Parc des Chutes-de-la-Chaudière Mini Hydro Project. Development - 1993–2000 Transfer of public water rights to Innergex - 1993

ophira
Download Presentation

Parc des Chutes- de-la-Chaudière Mini Hydro Project: Enhancement Through Development

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Parc des Chutes-de-la-Chaudière Mini Hydro Project: Enhancement Through Development Lessons from a success story by Jean–Pierre Fau and Guy Dufort

  2. Parc des Chutes-de-la-Chaudière Mini Hydro Project • Development - 1993–2000 • Transfer of public water rights to Innergex - 1993 • Impact study - 1994–1995 • Public hearings - 1996–1997 • Project approvals and licensing - 1997 • Project construction - 1997–1999 • Commissioning - 2000 2

  3. Location 3

  4. The urban setting in 1929 4

  5. The first powerhouse in 1901 5

  6. The powerhouse in 1920 6

  7. Two of the three turbines generating a total of 3.5 MW Turbine Layout 7

  8. Spring breakup in 1969 8

  9. 40 meter breach in the dam Breach in the dam • The old power station was decommissioned in 1970 9

  10. The urban setting in 1994 10

  11. Chaudière Falls before the project • Before the mini hydro development, Parc des Chutes-de-la-Chaudière was almost totally abandoned. • Public access to the park was poorly indicated. • Trails were badly maintained and sometimes dangerous. • Two old and unattractive structures remained, the old dam and the intake. • There was no government or municipal funding. 11

  12. Parc des Chutes-de-la-Chaudière Mini Hydro Project • Project on the Chaudière River • Located at the 35-meter-high falls in Parc des Chutes-de-la-Chaudière • Located in a public park in a fast-growing city (Lévis) on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River near Quebec City and bordered by two highways • 254-meter-long ,7-meter-high concrete dam on the falls • Installed capacity of 24 MW with two horizontal Kaplans 12

  13. Strong focus on environmental integration from the start • Innergex, the promoter of the Chaudière project, paid special attention to environmental integration from the beginning of the project. • The company’s bid proposal included integration principles that were maintained and improved throughout the implantation process. These included— • Enhancement of the falls and maintenance of an esthetic discharge during the summer season • Maintenance of an ecological discharge to preserve downstream fish habitats all year round • Architecturally pleasing powerhouse design • No switchyard • Establishment of a special fund dedicated to restoring and maintaining public park infrastructures • Maintaining public access to the powerhouse 13

  14. The search for community consensus Consultation - Information • A methodical, broad-reaching approach • Transparency • An ongoing presence • Continuous information before and during construction 14

  15. Maintaining the visual appeal of the falls • Preserving the aquatic ecosystem between the falls and the tailrace outlet • Integrating the works into the park Three key issues 15

  16. Protect the visual appeal of the falls by maintaining a flow rate of between 25 and 37 m3/s during the day, natural water supplies permitting. First issue: controlled esthetic flow 16

  17. Before39 m3/s After25 m3/s Before - 39 m3/s After - 25 m3/s 17

  18. Before16 m3/s After15 m3/s Before - 16 m3/s After - 15 m3/s 18

  19. Maintain a minimum ecological controlled flow rate of 4 m3/s, natural water supplies permitting Second issue: aquatic ecosystem 19

  20. General design 20

  21. Real view from the footbridge Anticipated view from the footbridge Third issue: integration of works 21

  22. Real view from the tailrace Anticipated view from the tailrace Architecture 22

  23. Typical interpretation panel Powerhouse roof and skylights Interpretation 23

  24. A few figures • $350,000 for park redevelopment • $346,000 lump sum payment • $100,000 annually 24

  25. Coffer dam on the west bank Dry construction of project works 24

  26. The two penstocks 25

  27. Lessons learned • The Chaudière mini hydro project was a challenging project in a public park just south of Quebec City. The keys to success were— • A comprehensive approach integrating financial, social, and environmental values shared by the developer, project designers, and the community • An open-minded attitude and a willingness to listen • The patience to give the community the opportunity to express its concerns The community got involved when ecologists were using their standard arguments against the project. 26

  28. In short • Vision • Flexibility • Shared values 27

More Related