November 11, 2020 – Hydro-Quebec will invest $750 million to refurbish its Carillon generating station, mainly to replace six generating units.

“Carillon generating station is a symbol of our hydroelectric development and plays a strategic role in our production fleet,” explained David Murray, chief innovation officer & president, Hydro-Quebec Production. “However, most of the generating units’ main components date back to the station’s original construction from 1959 to 1962.”

The investment will also cover the cost of civil engineering work, including making adjustments to water passageways, upgrading electrical equipment and replacing the station roof. Work will start next year and continue until 2027.

“In light of today’s economic situation, this is an important announcement that clearly reaffirms Hydro-Quebec’s role in relaunching Quebec’s economy,” said Marc Boucher, president of Hydro-Quebec TransÉnergie et Équipement. “Over 600,000 hours of work will be required for everything—from the engineering work to component assembly—creating many new high-quality skilled jobs for Quebec industries.”

Located near the Greater Montreal Area, Carillon is a run-of-river power plant consisting of 14 generating units with a total installed capacity of 753 MW.

Once the work is completed, the new generating units will be able to provide energy for the next 50 years.