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The Rapide-Blanc Generating Station is a hydroelectric plant, including a reservoir, a dam and hydroelectric plant, located on the Saint-Maurice River about north of the city of La Tuque, in Quebec, in Canada. Built between 1930 and 1934 by Shawinigan Water & Power Company, it is the third built on this river from upstream plant. The plant is operated by Hydro-Québec since it was acquired from SWP in 1963, as part of the nationalisation of electric power companies in Quebec. The plant has a rated power of . == History == “Rapide-Blanc” (English: White Rapid) was deemed to be the most dangerous rapids of Saint-Maurice River. The Atikamekw preferred to use a series of 11 portages from Coucoucache to the mouth of the Vermillon River (La Tuque), upstream of La Trenche Generating Station, through the Coucoucache Creek. This hydroelectric dam was built on the site of the former "Rapide Blanc" whose designation exists at least since the mid-nineteenth century. After the construction of the dam, one of the oldest remaining rapids (below the dam), designated in French "Rapides de la Tête du Rapide Blanc" (Rapids of the Head of White Rapids). The name "Rapide-Blanc" (White Rapid) was also attributed to the rail stop located 12 km south of hameau.〔"Names and places of Québec", the work of the Geographical Names Board published in 1994 and 1996 as an illustrated dictionary printed, and in that of a CD produced by Micro-Intel in 1997 from this dictionary.〕 In 1928, the Shawinigan Water & Power Company acquired water rights on six of the seven sites that could be developed for power generation on the upper Saint-Maurice River, upstream of Grand-Mère. The company signed a long-term lease for using and developing the site during 75 years, to ensure the exclusivity of hydroelectric development on the whole basin. Under agreements with the Government of Quebec, the site of Rapide-Blanc, located north of La Tuque is the first site to be developed. However, the Great Depression of 1930 forced the company to revise its growth forecast of electricity demand downwards. Under this agreement, the Shawinigan pledged to start construction of a plant with a minimum capacity of in 1930, for a planned commissioning in 1933; the construction of a second unit was to follow in 1938. But given the economic situation Shawinigan lakcluster sales between 1930 and mid-1932, the company requested some changes to the lease, including its extension from 75 to 95 years. The Government agreed to change the terms, which delayed subsequent work. However, Shawinigan honors still the initial appointment; the construction of gravity dams of starts in 1930, as provided in the agreement signed two years before. The project was relatively complex and involved at the time including the movement of a section of the railway of Canadian National, which passed through the land to be flooded by the reservoir of the plant, along . Another consequence was the displacement of Indian Reserve of Coucoucache whose lands were flooded by the Reservoir Blanc. A new reserve was assigned by the government of Quebec on , replacing the old unit of . Shawinigan repaid the Canadian government for the loss of the previous reserve of 380 U.S. dollars on 1 January 1937.〔 Despite the difficult economic environment, the directors of the company are confident of the project's profitability. According to the ''Annual Report'' 1932 Shawinigan, the unit cost of the first unit power is estimated at less than US$100. The cost of production was lower after installing the last two generating units, the central being provided to accommodate six, with a combined capacity of . And as feared leaders of the company, the power of this new plant, whose construction was completed in 1934, was not required before the outbreak of the World War II in 1939. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Rapide-Blanc Generating Station」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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