Rossdale Power Plant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rossdale Power Plant |
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Rossdale Power Plant in 2010
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| General information | |
| Status | Decommissioned |
| Address | 10155 96 Avenue NW, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
| Coordinates | 53°31′45.512″N 113°29′54.985″W / 53.52930889°N 113.49860694°W |
| Construction started | 1932 (Low Pressure Plant) 1937 (Pumphouse No. 1) |
| Closed | 2012 |
| Owner | EPCOR Utilities |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Maxwell Dewar (Low Pressure Plant) |
| Official name: Rossdale Power Plant | |
| Designated: | 17 October 2001 |
The Rossdale Power Plant is an old power station in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It used to make electricity from natural gas. The plant is located next to the North Saskatchewan River in the Rossdale area. It is close to the EPCOR water treatment plant and a native burial ground.
Three main buildings of the plant are still standing. These are the Low Pressure Plant, Pumphouse No. 1, and the Administration building. They are protected as important historical sites in Alberta.
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History of the Power Plant
The very first power plant at the Rossdale site was built in 1902. This was before Alberta officially joined Canada in 1905. A businessman named Alex Taylor owned this first plant. He sold it to the City of Edmonton in 1902 for $13,000.
As Edmonton grew, the power plant also expanded many times. In 1928, a study was done to figure out how much electricity Edmonton would need. Then, in 1930, a five-year plan was made to make the Rossdale plant even bigger.
Building the Low Pressure Plant
Construction on the Low Pressure Plant began in 1931. An architect named Maxwell Dewar designed this part of the plant. He made it so it could be easily expanded later if more power was needed. Maxwell Dewar later became the main architect for the City of Edmonton.
The Low Pressure Plant was expanded six times, with the last phase finished in the 1950s. Some of the work on this plant was done by people who were getting help during the Great Depression.
The Rossdale Power Plant became known as the biggest city-owned power plant in Canada. It had some of the most advanced machines in the country.
The Pumphouse Buildings
Pumphouse No. 1 was finished in 1937. It is a small, one-story building made of concrete, located just south of the Low Pressure Plant. Below the pumphouse are deep underground areas and walkways that go down 50 feet.
An engineer named John Poole designed the pumphouse after he graduated from the University of Alberta. Pumphouse No. 1 is still standing today and still has its original machines inside.
Pumphouse No. 2 was built later, in 1955. It was located between the Low Pressure Plant and the Walterdale Bridge.
Later Years and Closing
Until 1970, the Rossdale Power Plant was the only place making electricity in Edmonton. At its busiest, it produced 400 megawatts of electricity. It was estimated to make about a quarter of Alberta's electricity.
A new part, the High Pressure Plant, was built west of the Low Pressure Plant. New power units (numbers 8, 9, and 10) started working in 1960, 1963, and 1966. The Low Pressure Plant, which had older steam machines, stopped working in 1993. Its gas equipment was then removed.
In 1999, the company EPCOR Utilities wanted to add a new 170-megawatt natural gas turbine to the plant. This plan was approved in 2001. However, a few months later, the Alberta government declared the Rossdale Power Plant a Provincial Historical Resource. This decision stopped any new power generation from being built there.
The last working generators at Rossdale (units 8, 9, and 10) stopped making electricity in 2008. The whole process of shutting down the plant was completed in 2012. The Rossdale Power Plant and the land around it are owned by EPCOR Utilities, which is a company controlled by the city.
Future Plans for the Site
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After the power plant closed, the Edmonton City Council decided to spend $3 million to make the buildings stable. This work started in 2015, focusing on the roof and outside walls. A report suggested it would cost about $87.3 million to make the building ready for businesses to use.
In September 2019, the City Council approved a plan called River Crossing. This plan will redevelop the Rossdale area. It will include new buildings for different uses and new public parks. The plan also calls for the historic Rossdale Power Plant buildings to be fixed up and used again.
There have been ideas to make the Rossdale Power Plant the northern end of a proposed Edmonton Gondola Project. To help people learn about the historic plant, walking tours inside the building were planned to start in August 2020.
Building Design
Maxwell Dewar helped design the Rossdale Power Plant. Its design shows the style of buildings from the late 1920s and early 1930s. The design was inspired by industrial buildings and factories in the United States. It was built using steel and brick.
The Rossdale Power Plant is one of the oldest examples of mid-20th century industrial design still standing in Alberta. The Low Pressure Plant is special because of its many glass block windows and seven tall chimneys on the roof.
