Bearspaw — Canada
Hydro power plant in Alberta, Canada. Approximate location 51.1012, -114.2823.
HydroAlbertaCanada
Bearspaw is a 17 MW hydro power plant in Alberta, Canada. It is operated by TransAlta (100%). Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 17k homes (estimated). It ranks #606 of 1,210 Canada power plants by installed capacity. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 52.8% of Canada's electricity; the national grid averages 191 gCO₂/kWh (77.0% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id CAN0007654.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 17 MW, Bearspaw is well above the median hydro plant in Canada (12 MW). Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Share of Canada hydro capacity
- less than 0.1% of 81,037 MW across 556 plants in this dataset
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Canada
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by TransAlta (100%). All plants by this company →
Local climate & thermal context
This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a subarctic (boreal) climate (Köppen Dfc) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 51.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 115% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.
Climate heat-demand index: 95/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.
Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.
Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.
How it compares & nearby plants
The #248 largest hydro power plant of 556 in Canada by capacity.
Canada has 556 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 81,037 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Calgary Energy Centre · Gas · 320 MW · Alberta
- Balzac · Gas · 120 MW · Alberta
- Shepard · Gas · 881 MW · Alberta
- Ghost · Hydro · 54 MW · Alberta
- Beacon AI Centers Indus Project · Gas · 1,504 MW · Alberta
- Crossfield Energy Centre · Gas · 120 MW · Alberta
Location
Coordinates 51.1012, -114.2823 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Bearspaw?
Bearspaw is a 17 MW hydro power plant in Alberta, Canada.
Who operates Bearspaw?
Bearspaw is operated by TransAlta (100%).