Canada’s Low-Head Hydropower Resource Database: Sites with Head Under 15 m and Capacity Below 50 MW

This dataset identifies potential low head hydropower development sites across Canada, based on a comprehensive review of existing studies and resource databases. Low head hydropower refers to sites where the vertical drop (head) is 15 meters or less. Sites included in this dataset also have an estimated generation capacity of 50 megawatts (MW) or less. The original database was developed by Hatch Ltd. for Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) as part of a national low head hydropower market assessment. It integrates data from multiple sources, including provincial inventories, prior Hatch studies, and legacy fieldwork records. To enhance data completeness, NRCan subsequently revised the database by supplementing missing site names, river names, and geographic coordinates where possible. The finalized dataset comprises 2,629 potential low head hydropower sites distributed across Canada. It is provided in the form of provincial and territorial shapefiles, each containing detailed site-level attributes. Attributes include site name, river name, site ID, source of information, local map number, geographic coordinates (X and Y), site region, presence of a dam, grid connection status,…

Publisher

Natural Resources Canada

Resources

8

Catalogue metadata updated

2025-12-16