Port Union Hydro-Electric Generating Station

The Port Union Hydro-Electric Generating Station is a concrete, gable roofed power generating station situated on the south west arm of Catalina Harbour, and located approximately 1.7 km west of the community of Port Union. This building has been designated a Registered Historic Site and the designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

The Port Union Hydro-Electric Generating Station has been designated a Registered Historic Site because it has historic value. The Union Electric Light and Power Company was the third hydro-electric company operating in Newfoundland by 1925. It was incorporated in 1916 to provide electricity to the premises of the Fishermen’s Protective Union in Port Union. The first president, William F. Coaker, founder of the union town Port Union, began construction of the hydro-electric generating station, installing a 400 hp generating unit in 1917. The station is built on the Catalina River and is fed by nearby ponds. Three dams were put into place and by means of controlling gates the water is forced via pipes and is fed into numbers one and two turbines.

The Port Union Hydro-Electric generating station was a progressive step for the newly formed town of Port Union. It thrust the area in the 20th century and made the town one of the most progressive and modern in Newfoundland and Labrador. This original station and associated components was the first to bring electricity to the outports. The building is in operation today, using a majority of the original equipment, with the addition of diesel generators in 1945 and 1961.

Source: Historic Resources Division Annual Report, 1985/86, page 13.

All those elements that define the early 20th century power generating station, including:

-mid-pitch gable roof;

-concrete construction;

-16/16 windows;

-window and door openings;

-window fenestration;

-original wheel turbines; and

-original associated components.