Bersimis-2 generating station

Bersimis-2 generating station
Location of Bersimis-2 generating station in Quebec
LocationLac-au-Brochet, Quebec,
Canada
Coordinates49°10′31″N 69°13′45″W / 49.17528°N 69.22917°W / 49.17528; -69.22917
Construction began1956
Opening date1959
Owner(s)Hydro-Québec
Dam and spillways
Type of damGravity dam
ImpoundsBetsiamites River
Height276 ft (84 m)
Length2,100 ft (640 m)
Width (base)310 ft (94 m)
Spillway capacity130,000 cu ft/s (3,700 m3/s)
Reservoir
Surface area4,200 ha
Power Station
Hydraulic head380 ft (115.82 m)
Turbines5
Installed capacity869 MW

The Bersimis-2 generating station is a dam and a run-of-the-river hydroelectric power station built by Hydro-Québec on the Betsiamites River, in Lac-au-Brochet, 66 km (41 mi) north of the town of Forestville, Quebec. Construction started in 1956 and the power station was commissioned in 1959 with an initial nameplate capacity of 655 megawatts.

It is the second of two plants built by Hydro-Québec on the Betsiamites. Bersimis-2 was preceded by Bersimis-1, built 30 km (20 mi) upstream between 1953 and 1956. With upgrades and further river diversions, Bersimis-2's installed capacity has been increased over time to its current capacity of 869 megawatts.