Niagara Parks Power Station

The Rankine Generating Station (est. 1905) is a former hydro-electric generating station along the Canadian side of the Niagara River in Niagara Falls, Ontario. It was built in for the Canadian Niagara Power Company and named for company's founder William Birch Rankine. The generators were based on a design by Nikola Tesla. Tesla was first to realize the power of water, by looking at magnificent Niagara Falls. That’s why workers dig vertical shafts to allow for free water fall which turns powerful turbines and generates three phases electrical current. You will see in one of the pictures the place near each generator where the deep wells were dug.

The facility also known as The Canadian Niagara Power Generating Station, started delivering electrical power in 1905, and was officially decommissioned in 2006. We had special passes to visit in March 2020, just before COVID lockdowns. The plan is to have it opened for public in June 2021 as the new offering by Niagara Parks.

It is consisted of eleven vertical axle, 25 Hertz generators rated at 8320 kVA each for a total generating capacity of 100 MVA! (That was designed in 1902!). You will see in the pictures 5 generators with round peg holes for cooling and then 6 more with square holes. The first 5 were part of original design and that part of the building was first opened. The second half with 6 more generators was opened a bit later, when the concept of hydro electric power generation has been confirmed.

In order to promote the concept, the whole building was designed in luxurious way for that time, first the design of building itself, but then also details inside, everything is in marble, even control room switch holders (perfect insulator, but very expensive!)

This location is scheduled to open as a new Niagara Parks attraction in 2021. Lots of history and amazing how much of the original equipment is still in original condition.