At a glance
- OPG's icebreaker is back in operation on the Niagara River to smash winter's icy grip.
- The important vessel helps keep the river flowing to ensure reliable power generation at OPG's Adam Beck hydro stations and prevent shoreline flooding.
- In the event of an extreme cold snap, the Queen II will operate in tandem with the New York Power Authority's icebreaker, the William H. Latham.
During frigid winter months, the Niagara Queen II icebreaker keeps the water flowing for OPG's hydro generating stations.
This winter, ice stands no chance on the Niagara River.
Amid frigid temperatures, OPG's Niagara Queen II icebreaker has been hard at work this season to keep the power flowing.
The 85-tonne vessel helps ensure the water keeps moving so OPG's Sir Adam Beck I and II hydroelectric stations can keep generating renewable and reliable power for Ontario.
A frozen river can quickly cause problems from flooding to reductions in power generation output. This can create issues for hydro stations like OPG's Beck facilities. For this reason, having reliable ice-breaking vessels on the upper Niagara River is crucial during the winter months.
Combined, Beck I and II generate more than 2,000 megawatts of power for Ontario, or enough to power the equivalent of almost 2 million homes. So, it's crucial that their operation doesn't become iced out.
This winter, the battle-tested Queen II began breaking operations on Jan. 16 upon the declaration of first ice on the river. Typically, it will run between 300 to 400 hours in a season and smash through three to six feet of thick ice to maximize power production.
Propelled by two, 1,720-horsepower engines , the Queen II has more than enough power to get the job done.
OPG's Niagara Queen II icebreaker takes on a massive ice floe on the Niagara River.
In the event of an extreme cold snap, however, one vessel sometimes isn't enough.
That's why OPG's icebreaker works cooperatively with the New York Power Authority's (NYPA) 69-tonne William H. Latham icebreaker to manage the impacts of ice build-up to electricity generation and protect against shoreline flooding.
The Latham, which has a spoon-shaped bow, can break up a large field of ice by riding on top of it, whereas the Queen II has a knife-edged bow better suited for slicing through ice, especially near the intakes.
Both vessels take direction from OPG's International Niagara Control Works, which monitors the Niagara River's water flow and ice buildup in an area called the Chippawa-Grass Island Pool, upstream from the control centre.
If ice threatens to clog the hydroelectric intakes that deliver water to the stations downstream, the NRCC team will call on the Niagara Queen II and its three-person crew a captain, an engineer, and a deckhand to deal with the problem.
OPG's predecessor, Ontario Hydro, first began deploying an icebreaker in the early 1960s with the Niagara Queen, a modified tugboat icebreaker.
Every five years, the Queen II undergoes a regulatory maintenance check by Transport Canada. This inspection consists of replacing components and ensuring the icebreaker is in good working order and ready to continue to smash ice floes to relieve the Niagara River from winter's grip.
