Photo courtesy H2O Power

The president of H2O Power is retiring.

Jim Gartshore will end today 15 years with the company that was formed to handle the management of hydroelectric generating stations from then Abitibi Consolidated.

Gartshore was also a former manager of the mill in Fort Frances.

“I am incredibly proud to have had a hand in founding H2O, but I am even prouder of what our H2O family has accomplished for our stakeholders in Ontario,” said Gartshore in a statement. “Today, H2O Power provides more than 150 MW of clean, reliable, and flexible power to Ontario, making it one of the province’s leading hydropower providers and enabling Ontario to better absorb intermittent wind and solar energy. H2O Power is well positioned to support the global movement toward sustainable energy. I’d like to deeply thank our people, our outstanding executive team, our partners, and, especially, the people of Ontario for the trust you have placed in us over the years. H2O Power is an incredible home-grown success story with a lot of growth avenues on the horizon, and I could not be more confident and excited about its future.”

Patrick Gut, a member of the company’s board of directors, will fill in until a permanent replacement is found.

H2O Power owns eight hydroelectric generating stations totalling more than 150 MW of generating capacity, three control dams and 130 km of transmission lines in northern Ontario. This includes the power stations in Fort Frances, Kenora and Calm Lake.

The facilities are operated remotely from Oshawa and maintained locally.

The Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments) has been the majority owner of H2O Power since 2011.