The Milltown Dam (French: Barrage de Milltown) was a hydroelectric dam on the St. Croix River between St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada and Calais, Maine, United States. The dam was operated by NB Power from 1881 to 2023.
| Milltown Dam | |
|---|---|
 Milltown Dam before removal, 2019 | |
| Official name | Milltown Generating Station La centrale de Milltown (French) |
| Country | Canada United States |
| Location | St. Stephen, New Brunswick Calais, Maine |
| Coordinates | 45°10′33″N 67°17′34″W / 45.1759°N 67.2929°W |
| Status | Decommissioned |
| Opening date | 1881 |
| Demolition date | 2023 |
| Owner(s) | NB Power |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Impounds | St. Croix River |
| Height (foundation) | 13 metres (43 ft) |
| Height (thalweg) | 20 metres (66 ft) |
| Length | 183 metres (600 ft) |
History edit
Construction and energy output edit
Built in 1881 and modernised in the early-1900s, it was the oldest hydroelectric dam in Canada before its decommissioning, as well as the first hydroelectric facility built by the New Brunswick Electric Power Corporation.[1] Its power house had a capacity of 4 megawatts with its 7 turbines.[2] Before its decommissioning in 2023, the Milltown Dam accounted for 0.8% of NB Power's total hydroelectricity output. Electricity generated by the Milltown Dam was also exported to the United States, connected to a 69,000 volt transmission circuit owned by the Eastern Maine Electric Cooperative, an electric utility serving Calais.[3]
Removal edit
In 2019, NB Power announced its plans to decommission and remove Milltown Dam, citing the dam's high maintenance cost and low energy output.[4] NB Power considered refurbishing the dam, but the cost was estimated to be above $60 million, while the cost of removal would be around $20 million.[5] After receiving approval from the Department of Environment and Local Government, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection in 2022, the decommissioning of the dam began on July 1, 2023.[6]
References edit
- ^ NB Power: Hydro Tour Archived 2014-10-12 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "NB Power System Map". Archived from the original on 2014-10-12. Retrieved 2014-10-07.
- ^ US Department of Energy: "PP-32 Eastern Maine Electric Cooperative Inc", February 5, 1959.
- ^ "Milltown Dam removal between New Brunswick and Maine hits demolition benchmark". CTVNews. 2023-10-30. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ sidesea (2021-10-03). "ASF - Milltown Generating Station ought to be removed". ASF. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ NBPower. "Milltown Decommissioning". www.nbpower.com. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
External links edit
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