June 18, 2013 – Trent Energy Inc. celebrated the grand opening in Peterborough, Ont., of the Stanley Adamson Powerhouse—a hydroelectric project developed by Trent Energy (a subsidiary of Peterborough Utilities Inc.) together with Trent University. This marks the redevelopment and expansion of a hydroelectric facility that has been in operation since 1921.

“The HCI program was the catalyst to allow for the revitalization of this sustainable, community-based project. Without it, this project would not have happened,” said John Wynsma, vice-president, generation, Peterborough Utilities Inc.

The redevelopment and expansion project was enabled by the Ontario Power Authority’s Hydroelectric Contract Initiative (HCI), says OPA, which is a program to negotiate new contracts for qualified existing Ontario hydroelectric generation facilities.

Located on the Otonabee River, the powerhouse was contracted under the HCI program in June 2010, giving the developer the certainty to make investments in the facility, increasing its capacity from 1.6MW to about 3.9MW. The facility has a 20-year contract term, beginning this month.

The redevelopment project included replacing the original generating equipment (circa 1890 and 1920), a restored historic powerhouse to accommodate updated equipment, and replacing the mechanical and electrical station services.