La Grande-1 generating station

Dam in Baie-James, Quebec

53°44′04″N 78°34′25″W / 53.73444°N 78.57361°W / 53.73444; -78.57361StatusOperationalConstruction began1989Opening date1994-1995Construction costC$2.5 billionOwner(s)Hydro-QuébecDam and spillwaysType of damBarrageImpoundsLa Grande RiverHeight25 m (82 ft)Length2,584 m (8,478 ft)Dam volume1,070,000 m³ (38,000,000 cu ft)Spillways1Spillway typeParabolicSpillway capacity16,280 m³/s (574,923 cu ft/s)ReservoirTotal capacity1,228 hm³ (4.34×10¹⁰ cu ft)Active capacity98 hm³ (3.5×10⁹ cu ft)Surface area70 km² (27 sq mi)Maximum length75 km (47 mi)Normal elevation32.0 m (105.0 ft)Power StationTypeRun-of-the-riverHydraulic head27.5 m (90 ft)Turbines12 × fixed-blade propeller-type turbines
General Electric (8);
GEC Alsthom (4)Installed capacity1,436 MWCapacity factor57%Annual generation7,500 GWhSource: Société d'énergie de la Baie James 1996

The La Grande-1 (LG-1) is a hydroelectric power station on the La Grande River that is part of Hydro-Québec's James Bay Project. The station can generate 1,436 MW and was commissioned in 1994–1995. A run of the river generating station, it is one of only two generating stations of the James Bay Project that use a reservoir without any major water-level fluctuations (the Laforge-2 generating station is the other). Thus, the amount of electricity generated by the station depends almost entirely on the water-flow of the river, which is largely controlled by upstream reservoirs and generating stations.^[1]