Belly River

The Belly River facility is a three-megawatt run-of-river hydroelectric facility constructed adjacent to the Belly River Inlet Chute near Glenwood, Alberta. The facility was commissioned in 1991.

The facility is designed to divert a portion of the flow from the Waterton-Belly Diversion Canal to the turbine, producing electric power. Constructed on Alberta Environment's irrigation system, it consists of an intake structure; a 1.8-metre diameter buried steel penstock (gate); a powerhouse; and a 25-kilovolt power line. The facility also uses horizontal Francis turbines and an Alstom generator.

The facility is capable of producing about 11,250 megawatt-hours each year.

TransAlta owns and operates the Belly River facility through its wholly owned subsidiary Canadian Hydro Developers.

Environmental highlights

Protection of the environment is an important part of our hydro power business, as is responsible water use. We continually work with environmental and community groups to ensure habitats are protected, and that all users' needs are heard.

The Belly River facility has a UL ECOLOGO® Certification for Renewable Energy.