James Bay Hydro Quebec
© David MaiselThe James Bay Hydro Quebec project is one of the largest hydroelectric systems in the world, and covers an area the size of New York State. The project, which cost more than $20 billion US to construct, has a generating capacity of 16,000 megawatts. That capacity is three times more than all of the power stations at Niagara Falls, eight times the power of Hoover Dam, and more than double the power of all eight reactors at the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station, the largest in North America. The state-owned project has been criticized, however, for its environmental impact. By diverting the flow of water from four major rivers of the Hudson Bay into its large body of water, the James Bay Project has created a complex chain reservoir ultimately changing the dynamics of the land.
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