Completion and Commissioning
On 21 March 2013 the Ontario Power Generation Corporation (OPG) and the Ontario Government officially placed the new Niagara tunnel into service with a formal opening ceremony and tour. The OPG reported that the project will be financially rewarding despite being completed four years later than planned and about $500M over its originally estimated cost. OPG's president and CEO Tom Mitchell stated: "This was a large, complex project that will serve Ontario for more than 100 years".
The tunnel project was completed at a total cost $100 million lower than its revised $1.6 billion budget, and with an in-service date of 9 March 2013. The operational start-of-service date was nine months sooner than the project's revised schedule that was drawn up in 2009 due to unexpected and difficult geological conditions encountered in the soft Queenston Shale Formation during the tunnel boring process.
The new tunnel will provide enough additional water to the Sir Adam Beck generating complex to produce power for approximately 160,000 homes.
Read more about this topic: Niagara Tunnel Project