Rivière-des-Prairies generating station
IMPORTANT – Guided tours are suspended until further notice.
Discover a colorful heritage generating station right in the Montréal area!
- Discover Rivière-des-Prairies Generating Station
- School tours
- Visitors’ comments
- Schedule and practical information
- How to get there
- Other sights in the area
An urban power plant
Built between 1928 and 1930, Rivière-des-Prairies Generating Station stands proudly between the Montréal and Laval river banks.
Learn how it was built and how the Montréal region was electrified in the 1930s. Touch the runner of a decommissioned turbine, go down into a turbine pit and up onto the spillway. You’re sure to be impressed by the water’s raw power.
And it’s the most colorful generating station in Québec!
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Did you know?
22 elephants
Imagine it: Just one of the plant’s generating units weighs 110 t, as much as 22 elephants. Numbers worth trumpeting!
$14 million
That’s how much Rivière-des-Prairies Generating Station cost to build—back in 1930. Today, building one like this would cost several hundred million dollars.
Protecting fish
To help the American shad return to the Atlantic Ocean, an ultrasound system is installed every year upstream of the generating station in the Rivière des Prairies. The system is used during the American shad’s spawning season and helps adult fish bypass the generating station.
History of the generating station
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Question from: Anthony, St-Eustache
Answer from: Simon, tour guide at Rivière-des-Prairies generating station
How many spillway gates are there?
The spillway has 13 gates, each weighing 120 tonnes!
Question from: Suzanne, Terrebonne
Answer from: Simon, tour guide at Rivière-des-Prairies generating station
What kinds of fish live in the Rivière des Prairies?
There are several species of fish around the generating station, including shad, sturgeon and walleye. In summer, you can even see people fishing from the specially built catwalk alongside the interpretation centre.
Question from: Michel J., Laval
Answer from: Simon, tour guide at Rivière-des-Prairies generating station
In what year did the generating station start operating?
Rivière-des-Prairies generating station was commissioned in 1929, right at the time of the stock market crash.
Follow the guides!
Our guides know what they’re talking about. They’ve been specially trained to make sure you have a rewarding experience that meets your expectations. They’ll be delighted to tailor your tour to match the goal you have in mind and the profile of your group.
Our interactive educational tours are full of facts and most of them are fun for the entire family. Don’t be shy about asking questions: our guides are very knowledgeable. Your curiosity will be satisfied!
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School tours
School tours
Tours of Hydro-Québec generating stations and interpretation centres are an ideal way for your students to gain a very practical understanding of electricity. Our lively guides will soon get everyone interested in the history of Hydro-Québec, the different energy sources, electricity and hydropower generation.
A fun, free, educational field trip!
Schedule and practical informationMaximum number of visitors
60 people, including students and escorts. We form a second group when there are more than 30 people.
Supervision
These are the recommended ratios for adults accompanying groups:
- Ages 9 to 12: 1 adult for every 1 to 10 pupils
- Ages 13 to 17: 1 adult for every 1 to 20 pupils
For safety’s sake, teachers and accompanying adults must remain with their charges throughout the tour and help the guides.
Tour packages
Ask our guides about the combo packages when booking.
Pre-visit preparation
- Educational ressources for teachers
- Understanding Electricity Web site
- Online games
Hydro-Québec offers quality teaching resources to help you explain various concepts related to electricity, such as sustainability, energy efficiency, the environment and safety.
Age-appropriate tours
Tours of Hydro-Québec facilities are an excellent complement to the Québec Education Program. They reinforce the acquisition and development of several competencies in the areas of math, science and technology, social science and more.
Broad Areas of Learning
- Environmental awareness and consumer rights and responsibilities
Areas of learning and competencies
- Science and Technology: Competency 1, 2 and 3
Essential knowledge related to competencies
- Material World: Energy, Forces and Motion, Systems and interaction, Appropriate language
- Earth and Space: Matter, Energy, Appropriate language
Broad Areas of Learning
- Personal and career planning
- Environmental awareness and consumer rights and responsibilities
Areas of learning and competencies
- Science and Technology: Competency 1, 2 and 3
- Social Sciences: Competency 1 and 2
Essential knowledge related to competencies
- Material World: Energy, Forces and Motion, Systems and interaction, Appropriate language
- Earth and Space: Energy, Appropriate language
- Knowledge related to the organization of a society in its territory: Québec society around 1980
- Knowledge related to change in a society and its territory: Québec society between 1905 and 1980
Broad Areas of Learning
- Personal and career planning
- Environmental awareness and consumer rights and responsibilities
Areas of learning and competencies
- Science and Technology: Competency 2 and 3
- Social Sciences: Competency 1
Topics
- The major steps in the electrification of Québec
- History and construction phases of the station
- Hydroelectric power generation
- Producing electricity through electromagnetic induction
- How a generating unit works
- Tour of a turbine shaft
- Fish ladder
- Role and importance of a spillway
Complements the following programs
- Science
- Humanities
- Engineering programs
- Industrial electronics programs
Topics
- The major steps in the electrification of Québec
- History and construction phases of the station
- Hydroelectric power generation
- Producing electricity through electromagnetic induction
- How a generating unit works
- Tour of a turbine shaft
- Fish ladder
- Role and importance of a spillway
We tailor the tour to suit your needs.
Topics
- The major steps in the electrification of Québec
- History and construction phases of the station
- Hydroelectric power generation
- Producing electricity through electromagnetic induction
- How a generating unit works
- Tour of a turbine shaft
- Fish ladder
- Role and importance of a spillway
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Thanks for offering these tours.
Thank you, Simon, for a great guided tour.
Lots of interaction, very rewarding.
Really well done! The guide gave us a great tour of the generating station.
Schedule and practical information
Schedule and practical information
Admission
Free
Schedule
June 7 to June 23, 2021
Daily tours in French: 9:30 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 2:45 p.m
June 24 to August 29, 2021
Wednesday to Sunday: 9:30 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 2:45 p.m
Reservations required.
Special instructions apply due the COVID‑19 pandemic.
Tours in English might be available upon request.
Length of tour
Approximately 90 minutes.
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What you should know
ID card
Visitors aged 18 years and over must present official photo ID (medicare card, driver’s licence or passport) to tour a facility.
Clothing
Flat, closed shoes are mandatory.
Free guided tours
Tours are led by qualified, dynamic guides.
Time of arrival
Tours start at set times. You should be there 15 minutes in advance.
Age
The tour is recommended for school-aged children but not for children under the age of two, for safety reasons.
Accessibility
Tours are on foot and include some stairs.
Notice to pacemaker users
The electromagnetic fields in power plants may disrupt pacemaker operation. As a precaution, pacemaker users will not be allowed during the part of the guided tour that takes place in the generating station.
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Services
- Free parking
- Accessible by public transit transit
- Partially accessible to persons with a physical impairment
- Restrooms
Information and reservations (between 9:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.)
1 800 365-5229
E-mailReservations required at all times 24 hours in advance.
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How to get there
Rivière-des-Prairies Generating Station
3400 Du Barrage
Laval, Québec
H7E 5A2
Cartier métro station - STL bus 22
Other sights in the area
- Parc régional de l’Île-de-la-Visitation (in French only)
- Centre d'interprétation de l'eau de Laval (C.I.EAU) (in French only)
- Électrium
To find out about other activities or plan your trip to the area, go to QuébecOriginal.com.
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Visitors’ comments
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