Silver Falls — Canada
Hydro power plant in Ontario, Canada. Approximate location 48.6609, -89.5974.
HydroOntarioCanada
Silver Falls is a 51 MW hydro power plant in Ontario, Canada. It is operated by Ontario Power Generation Inc. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 51k homes (estimated). It ranks #418 of 1,210 Canada power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1959, it is around 67 years old — an older, legacy facility. 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 CAN0008363.
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
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100001022932; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 51 MW, Silver Falls 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
- Age among peers
- 89 of 189 dated hydro plants in Canada are older
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 Ontario Power Generation Inc.
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 48.7°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 142% 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: 98/100 — 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 #160 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
- Kakabeka · Hydro · 25 MW · Ontario
- Thunder Bay Airport · Solar · 8.5 MW · Ontario
- Fort William · Solar · 10.9 MW · Ontario
- Thunder Bay Condensing Turbine · Biomass · 62.4 MW · Ontario
- Thunderbay G3 · Biomass · 135 MW · Ontario
- Thunder Bay power station · Coal · 320 MW · Ontario
Location
Coordinates 48.6609, -89.5974 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Silver Falls?
Silver Falls is a 51 MW hydro power plant in Ontario, Canada, commissioned in 1959.
Who operates Silver Falls?
Silver Falls is operated by Ontario Power Generation Inc.