Island Falls is a hydroelectric power station operated by SaskPower, a Saskatchewan crown corporation. It is located on the Churchill River, about northwest of Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada.
Island Falls was the first hydroelectric power plant in Saskatchewan. It was built between 1928 and 1930 by the Churchill River Power Company, a subsidiary of Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting, to provide electricity for the HBM&S mining operations at Flin Flon and Cold Lake, Manitoba.
The drainage basin above the power site covers much of northwest Saskatchewan, about . The drainage basin contains several large lakes providing natural reservoirs, the main one being Reindeer Lake at .
As part of the consolidation of generation sources in the province, SaskPower purchased the plant from HBM&S in 1981, which continued to operate it for several years. Since 1985 the plant is entirely owned and operated by SaskPower.
Construction
The construction of the power plant was difficult, as transportation routes did not exist north of the rail-head in Flin Flon. In summer, 43 miles of road were built between a series of six lakes, and scows installed on those lakes. Heavy hauling had to take place during a two-month period in late winter when the lake ice was thick enough. Construction material was carried a distance of by trains of up to six sleighs hauled by . Linn tractors. The average load was about 77 tons per train, while the total freight carried over two winters was 35,000 tons. At that time, it was considered to be the most ambitious winter hauling enterprise ever undertaken in Canada.
Power for construction was supplied by two small turbines at a temporary hydro-electric plant at Spruce Falls, down river (east), where Kipahigan (Barrier) Lake drains into the Churchill River.
The Island Falls power dam spanned the main river channel at Big Eddy Falls, where there was a drop of . In addition, a number of earthen dams were built along the margin of the head pond (fore bay) to prevent overflow. About south, a concrete spillway dam known as "A-dam" was built across a low area on dry land later to be flooded. The fore bay was filled during July 1930, completely submerging the three low falls from which Island Falls gets its name. In August 1930, A-dam was opened and the massive flood of escaping water flushed out a second channel, thus creating an island. The stretch of river affected by the Island Falls development extends from Big Eddy Falls, where the power plant is located, to Mussena Rapids, a distance of approximately .
The power plant
Initially, the power plant held the two . units brought up from Spruce Falls, and three large turbine units each rated at . under a head at 163.6 rpm. These vertical generators put out 6,600 volts, which was stepped up to 110,000 volts for transmission over of line to Flin Flon and the branch line to the Sherritt-Gordon Mine at Cold Lake. The first transmission of electricity to Flin Flon took place in June 1930. In following years, additional . units were added: Unit 4 in 1936, Unit 5 in 1938, Unit 6 in 1947, and Unit 7 in 1959. The total output of the power plant is now well over .
SaskPower continues to modernize and maintain the plant, with re-runnering and upgrade of controls for units 4, 5 and 6 under way as of 2012. The utility currently projects that Island Falls generating units will continue in operation into their 9th decade before retirement.
The settlement of Island Falls
From 1929 to 1967, Island Falls was also the name of the small, remote settlement of about two hundred people located on the island near the power plant. Called "The Camp" by its residents, it was home to the families of operators, electricians, machinists, administrators, labourers, and men of many other skills employed by the Churchill River Power Company.
The original buildings dating from 1929 were made from locally sawn spruce and pine trees. They were distinctively clad with vertical, bark-covered slabs on the walls, roofed with black tarpaper, insulated with sawdust, fully plumbed, and electrically heated. During the 1940s, the old dwellings were replaced by second-generation houses. These fully modern houses, including utilities, were provided free to employees.