Another hydroelectric generating facility could be built on the Otonabee River, between Peterborough and Lakefield, north of the Peterborough Utilities facility that opened last year.

Coastal Hydropower Corp., a Calgary-based company, plans to build a hydroelectric generating facility beside the dam at Lock 24 and another hydroelectric generating facility beside the dam at Lock 25.

Together, the two facilities would generate a total of about four megawatts.

In comparison, the Robert G. Lake Generating Station, between locks 23 and 22, generates about eight megawatts, which is enough electricity to power 3,000 to 4,000 homes.

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“There would be no impact on the existing dams. We’re not changing the flow of the river or impacting the structural integrity of the existing dams. We’re building a small, little bypass canal at each … it just goes around the outside of the dam…. It’s only a very, very short distance around the outside of the dam.”

Neil Anderson

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To feed water into the generating station, Trent Rapids Power Corp., which is partly owned by Peterborough Utilities, built an about one-kilometre long canal.

The hydroelectric generating facilities proposed by Coastal Hydropower would require an about 80-metre long power canal, of which 10 metres would be concrete and the remainder would be rock.

But instead of a traditional canal, a 10-metre wide bypass area would be dug out next to the dam, Coastal Hydropower president Neil Anderson said.

“There would be no impact on the existing dams. We’re not changing the flow of the river or impacting the structural integrity of the existing dams,” he said. “We’re building a small, little bypass canal at each … it just goes around the outside of the dam…. It’s only a very, very short distance around the outside of the dam.”

Coastal Hydropower would use a new type of hydro power technology called a “very low head turbine,” which is a slow-speed turbine that has virtually zero mortality on fish, Anderson said.

“It’s a technology that’s been developed to be very, very low impact and also very fish friendly,” he said. “This is a new generation of more environmentally and socially friendly hydro power.”

A kiosk would be built at Lock 25 to showcase the history of hydropower development in Canada and provide information on the history of the Trent-Severn Waterway, Coastal Hydropower states in an information package on the project.

Coastal Hydropower has run advertisements in local media to inform the public that it filed an application with Parks Canada under the Dominion Water Power Act for a priority permit for the hydroelectric generating facilities.

At each site, a concrete structure with four bays would be built on the west side of the river next to the dams.

Anyone with comments are objections is encouraged to send a written statement to the Parks Canada waterpower director.

Coastal Hydropower would like to start construction in summer 2012, install the turbines in late summer 2013 and complete the project in October 2013, Anderson said.

“We’re very excited about working with Parks Canada to develop this project for the benefit for local community,” he said.

via Two hydroelectric generating stations planned for Locks 24, 25 between Lakefield and Trent University – Peterborough Examiner – Ontario, CA.