Côte‑Nord, QC
I used to be called Manic‑2, but now everyone calls me the Jean‑Lesage generating station, in honor of the politician. It is thanks to him that Hydro‑Québec was given the mandate to develop and operate hydropower sites not yet under concession to private interests. I’m often complimented on my majestic appearance. Come see for yourself! You’ll have a wonderful day, during which:
At the Georges‑Dor building, you’ll also get to see an exhibition on the technology that revolutionized electricity transmission around the world, the 735‑kilovolt power line. It's captivating!
* A gravity dam uses its mass to withstand water pressure.
Have a look at these pictures to get a sneak peek of your guided tour.
Si tu savais comme on s’ennuie… [If you only knew how lonely it gets] In 1966, Georges Dor wrote his hit song La Manic, evoking the life of a worker exiled at the Manic‑5 generating station construction site. Originally, the song was called Complainte de la Bersimis, naming the construction site where he worked. Since 2005, my visitors can tour the Georges‑Dor building, named in his honor.
I have eight generating units, each weighing as much as 100 elephants! With my 1,229‑megawatt (2022) capacity, I can supply a city of 250,000 people like Longueuil or 12 cities like Baie‑Comeau.
My spillway can discharge 5,560 m3 of water per second, if needed. Quite the shower!
My hydropower facility is home to one of the largest hollow‑joint gravity dams in the world. You could stack 14 giraffes in the height of its seven largest hollow joints!
Until 1992, a log chute built into my dam bore witness to the era of log driving on the Rivière Manicouagan. Close to 700 cords of logs passed through it per hour.
Some images are from the Hydro‑Québec Archives.
Located 20 kilometres from Baie‑Comeau, I’m the first of the eight generating stations that make up the Manic‑Outardes hydropower complex to have been built. I’m one of the proud symbols of the Quiet Revolution and the result of the daring visionaries of the time.
1939‑1945: World War II
1944: First phase of electricity nationalization in Québec
From the early 1950s, Hydro‑Québec assessed the hydropower potential of the Manicouagan and Aux Outardes rivers in the Côte‑Nord region and planned the construction of new generating stations to meet the growing demand for electricity in Québec.
Map of the Manicougan‑Outardes hydroelectric complex.
Source: Hydro‑Québec Archives
1960: Beginning of the Quiet Revolution in Québec
1962: Maîtres chez nous! – Election of Jean Lesage’s Liberal Party
1963: Second phase of electricity nationalization in Québec
1967: Montréal’s Expo 67
Don’t take our word for it: this is what the people who visited the generating station with our guides had to say.
Discovering a wonder thought up, created by human beings is a gift. A great big thank‑you to everyone for their friendliness and their knowledge.
Very, very interesting! Even better than I expected! The guides are motivated and considerate towards tourists and visitors.
Very good guide, very instructive and lively tour. Thank you.
Visitors aged 18 and over must present official photo ID.
(Accepted ID: health insurance card, driver’s license or passport)
Reservations are required at all times and must be made at least 24 hours in advance.
About 90 mins
Tours start at set times. We recommend that you arrive 15 minutes in advance.
From mid‑June to the end of August
Tour times
Daily at 9 a.m., 11 a.m.,
1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
(reservations required)
Suggested itinerary to visit
two generating stations in the
same day
You can tour the Jean‑Lesage generating station (Manic‑2) as well as the Manic‑5 generating station and Daniel‑Johnson dam, less than 2 hours 30 minutes away, in the same day.
To do so, take the 9:00 a.m. tour of Manic‑2 and the 3:30 p.m. tour of Manic‑5.
Looking for original tours featuring science, history and technical know-how? Hydro‑Québec’s got just the ticket!
Check it out!
Jean‑Lesage Generating Station
(Manic‑2) –
Interpretation Center
Kilometre 20, route
389 Nord
Baie‑Comeau (Québec)
G4Z 0A7
Tel.: 1 866 LAMANIC (1 866 526‑2642)(1 866 526‑2642) (toll‑free), between 9:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Get in touch by email.
For additional information
Free admission
Reservations are required at all times and must be made at least 24 hours in advance.
Reserve, the Jean‑Lesage
hydropower generating
station
For any other information, call
us at
1 866 526-2642
1 866 526-2642.
Get in touch by
email.
