KAKABEKA FALLS -- The Kakabeka Falls motel that Kelsey Shaffer Paterson co-owns isn’t normally super busy over the winter, but next year could be a different story.
In 2025, construction is slated to start on a $100-million upgrade to Ontario Power Generation’s hydro station just upstream from the famous Kakabeka waterfall, presumably creating a major influx of construction workers in need of rooms.
“If they work through the winter, it could benefit us,” Shaffer Paterson said on Tuesday. “We’re pretty busy in the summer.”
Construction on the Kakabeka Falls Generating Station is to be overseen by the Toronto-area Bird Construction. The project, expected to take two years, will bump up the power station’s output by 13 per cent to 27 megawatts.
“With modern equipment and increased clean generating capacity, the redeveloped Kakabeka Falls Generation Station will help OPG and Ontario meet its net-zero goals, while supporting province-wide electrification for decades to come,” the agency said in an earlier news release.
The upgrade to the 117-year-old hydro station “will include the building of a new powerhouse extension located upstream of the existing powerhouse on the eastern bank of the Kaministiquia River,” an OPG backgrounder said.
Contained within the new powerhouse will be two “modern turbine-generating units.” A new surge tank will be installed to enable the station to better respond to water pressure changes.
The existing powerhouse will be maintained in its original location, OPG says.
Once the upgrade is complete, the station — which is capable of powering the equivalent of 25,000 homes — will be set to operate for another 90 years, the utility said.
Though the Kakabeka Falls stations falls within the boundary of Oliver Paipoonge, the municipality doesn’t collect tax from the property, since it’s owned by the government. But it does receive payments-in-lieu.
Oliver Paipoonge Mayor Lucy Kloosterhuis said she expects a hive of activity once construction starts, with tradespeople in high demand.
“It’s going to be pretty busy in this area,” Kloosterhuis said.
The power station also falls within the traditional territory of Fort William First Nation. Though the band doesn’t collect any direct revenue from its operation, the upgrade “is expected to generate economic benefits for local Indigenous communities, in support of OPG’s reconciliation action plan” for native people.
“OPG has been working closely with Fort William First Nation to ensure the community’s consultation and input are considered from the onset, starting with the preliminary planning stages of the (Kakabeka Falls) project,” the agency said.
The Chronicle-Journal
