Local students provide colour to OPG’s Otto Holden hydro station in eastern Ontario
At a glance
- OPG called upon the students of Mattawa District Public School to help liven up the lobby of the Otto Holden Generating Station.
- New works of art, which portray the students’ favourite parts of the town of Mattawa, were unveiled at the station on June 22.
- Otto Holden GS has been producing clean power on the Ottawa River for more than 70 years.
When the students at Mattawa District Public School were called upon to help add some colour to the lobby of OPG’s Otto Holden Generating Station (GS), their eyes lit up with ideas.
A vision of the sun rising over the Ottawa River. A drawing of their favourite animal. A painting of the local fire station. A fishing scene.
In all, 54 school children from three classes took on their assignment to portray their favourite part of Mattawa, the small eastern Ontario town that hosts Otto Holden GS, with enthusiasm, colour, and creativity.
Now their canvasses proudly hang in the lobby of the hydroelectric station, a major landmark in the town.
“This community project is part of our overall effort to rejuvenate our lobby here at Otto Holden. We are thrilled by the creativity shown here by the students and thank them as well as their teachers for participating.”Emily SalvalaggioSenior Manager at OPG
“These works of art are helping to restore pride in our station,” said Emily Salvalaggio, a Senior Manager at OPG who oversees Otto Holden GS as well as Des Joachims GS. “This community project is part of our overall effort to rejuvenate our lobby here at Otto Holden. We are thrilled by the creativity shown here by the students and thank them as well as their teachers for participating.”
The young artists, ranging from Grades 1 to 6, were on hand to watch their works officially unveiled at the station on June 22. Afterward, they were treated to a tour of the 243-megawatt facility.
OPG provided all the materials to the school and students for the project, which was completed over the course of two weeks. This included offering a diverse array of art media, from acrylic paint to clay and markers.
For more than 70 years, Otto Holden GS has served as a fixture in Mattawa while generating clean power on the Ottawa River near the Quebec border.
The station has a unique and important connection to the town itself.
During its construction in the early 1950s, a small colony of 23 houses was built in Mattawa for operating staff, and a 4.8-km highway was built to connect the colony to the station.
Otto Holden GS is now undergoing a mid-life refurbishment of its eight units to ensure it can continue to generate clean power for many more decades.
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