Twin Falls (Newfoundland and Labrador)

Twin Falls Hydroelectric Power Station
Location of Twin Falls Hydroelectric Power Station in Newfoundland and Labrador
Location	Canada Newfoundland and Labrador
Coordinates	53°29′47.5″N 64°30′59.4″W / 53.496528°N 64.516500°W / 53.496528; -64.516500Coordinates: 53°29′47.5″N 64°30′59.4″W / 53.496528°N 64.516500°W / 53.496528; -64.516500
Construction began	1960
Opening date	1963
Construction cost	$47,500,000
Owner(s)	Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro
Reservoir
Creates	Ossokmanuan Reservoir
Power Station
Decommission date	1974
Turbines	7
Installed capacity	225 MW
Website Official website

Twin Falls is the site of a hydroelectric power station developed by the British Newfoundland Development Corporation (Brinco) to deliver power^[1] to mining operations in Labrador City and Wabush.^[2]

The station was on the Unknown River, a tributary of the Churchill River that drains the central Labrador basin. Construction began in 1960. The river was dammed at Twin Falls to form the Ossokmanuan Reservoir. When finished in 1963, the station had a total capacity of 225 MW with two 115-mile (185 km) long transmission lines at 230,000 volts (or 230 kV). It cost $47.5 million (1963).^[1]

Twin Falls power was essential to the later development at Churchill Falls. It helped open up the area and supplied the power required during the construction phase of the project. In the planning stage, however, it became apparent that greater efficiency in the production of electricity could be achieved by diverting the flow of water from the Ossokmanuan Reservoir into the Smallwood Reservoir.^[3] Utilizing this water at the Churchill Falls plant enabled approximately three times as much electricity to be produced from the same volume of water. In July 1974 the Twin Falls plant was put into extended shutdown and the water diverted into the Smallwood Reservoir under an agreement with Churchill Falls Labrador Corporation Limited (CFLCo).^[1]

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