History of Churchill Falls

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In August, 1839, John McLean of the Hudson's Bay Company became the first white man to view the falls while he was on an overland journey from Fort Chimo (today Kuujjuaq), Ungava Bay, to Fort Naskapi in Labrador. Back then the falls was viewed as an obstacle to navigating the river and a back-breaking portage; however, in 1894, A. P. Low saw the potential for millions of horsepower of energy which he thought could be used to produce the heat required for the reduction of iron ore. In 1915, Wilfred Thibaudeau of the Quebec Streams Commission conceived the idea of diverting the river from Jacopie Lake and channeling it to take advantage of the necessary drop for hydroelectricity.

In August, 1949, Joseph R. Smallwood, Premier of Newfoundland, had the opportunity to see Grand Falls (Churchill Falls) for the first time and it became his obsession to turn the roaring falls into a hydroelectric plant. In 1953 British Newfoundland Corporation (Brinco) was formed to do extensive exploration of the untapped water and mineral resources. By the mid 1950s Brinco had determined that the Churchill Falls hydroelectric plant was feasible and practical.

After years of planning, the project was officially started on July 17, 1967, with the turning of the first sod. It came to fruition on November 19, 1971, when testing started on the power distribution lines and the first two generating units. Churchill Falls went into full-time production on December 6, 1971, with the delivery of the first consistent power to Hydro-Quebec.