Long-serving Sidney GS in eastern Ontario celebrates 110 years of clean power

In eastern Ontario, Sidney Generating Station (GS) continues to generate clean, affordable power 110 years after it first went into service.

One of the longest-serving hydroelectric facilities in OPG’s fleet, the four-unit, four-megawatt Sidney GS went into service in 1911. OPG’s predecessor company, Ontario Hydro, acquired the station in 1916 from its original owner, the Sidney Electric Power Company.

“Sidney GS is a testament to the reliability of all of our hydro stations,” said Ed Loghrin, OPG’s Acting Work Centre Manager for Campbellford. “With ongoing investments and maintenance, our legacy facilities will continue to generate clean, affordable power for the province to help us achieve our climate change goals.”

Located on the Trent River, about five kilometres from Trenton, Sidney GS was named after the adjacent township of Sidney, which was itself named after the Earl of Sydney, a title given to British politician Thomas Townshend in the 18^th century.

The station also goes by another moniker, Number 2 Powerhouse, because of its location on the Trent Valley Canal Dam No. 2.

An interesting fact about its construction – the plant was built completely inside the shoreline to provide sufficient spillway area for the spring freshet period.

Another interesting tidbit is that, up until 1994, it shared the exact same design as another OPG hydro station, Frankford GS, which sits just eight kilometres away and went into service two years after Sidney.

The two stations now only share the same exterior appearance, as Sidney GS underwent a significant retrofit in 1994 that included the removal of its old turbines and generators, and the installation of more modern Kaplan turbine/generators. This work increased the station’s capacity, efficiency, and extended its operating life.

Today, two cornerstones set on the front of the powerhouse building illustrate the station’s impressive legacy and the passage of time. One cornerstone reads S.E.P. Co. 1911, after the plant’s original owner, and another reads “Serving Ontario 75 years 1986”, which was placed by Ontario Hydro to commemorate the station’s 75^th anniversary.