Shawinigan Water & Power Company Explained

Established in 1898, the Shawinigan Water & Power Company was one of the dominant, privately owned hydroelectric companies in Canada until 1963, when it became a part of Hydro-Québec.

History

Shawinigan Water & Power Company was founded on January 15, 1898, by American businessman John Edward Aldred^[1] (who was the president) and John Joyce,^[2] and then joined by Andrew Frederick Gault, H. H. Melville, Thomas McDougall, and Louis-Joseph Forget. The company was named for where it was based: Shawinigan, Quebec.

Power assets

The company established various power station over the history of the company. Six power plants were built along the Saint-Maurice River in the 1920s^[2]

• Shawinigan 1 7.5MW (c. 1901) – built at what is now Shawinigan Falls. Shawinigan-1 ceased production in the early 1950s.
• Shawinigan 2 200MW (1911–1929)
• Shawinigan 3 194MW (1946–1948)^[2]
• La Gabelle 129MW (1924–1931)
• Rapide-Blanc 204MW (c. 1930)
• La Trenche 302MW (c. 1950)
• Beaumont 270MW (1958–1959)

In 1956 the company had total generating capacity at 1284 MW from the six active power stations.^[3]

Shawinigan Water & Power also generated power from two subsidiaries:

• Quebec Power Company – 31.1MW from six stations near Quebec City^[3]
• Southern Canada Power Company Limited – 43.4 MW from five stations on St. Francis River and other tributaries in the Eastern Townships^[3]

Clients

• Shawinigan Carbide
• Belgo Pulp and Paper Mills

See also

• History of Hydro-Québec
• Edmond Thibaudeau
• List of hydroelectric stations in Quebec
• Gouin Reservoir
• Saint-Maurice River
• Tracy Thermal Generating Station

Notes and References

1. Book: Martin . Thomas Commerford . Coles . Stephen Leidy . The Story of Electricity, Vol. I . 1919 . M.M. Marcy . New York City . 128 . January 3, 2023.
2. Web site: The birth of a company – the history of hydroelectricity in Quebec.
3. Web site: Canadian Register – the Shawinigan Water and Power Company, Montreal … . https://archive.today/20130219193523/http://www.lib.uwo.ca/programs/companyinformationcanada/cr-shawinigan.htm . February 19, 2013 . dead.