From 1989 to 1992, Hatch Energy carried out studies for a 3-MW small hydro development at a site near Englehart, Ontario. The economic situation at the time was unfavorable, and the project was shelved. Ten years later, with the power market in Ontario due to open, Canadian Renewable Energy Corporation took over the development.

The environmental approvals process was reactivated in the summer of 2001, and civil works construction began in May 2002. Commissioning of the plant (ready for commercial operation) was complete 11 months later, on April 8, 2003. A concrete overflow weir and training walls direct flow towards an intake structure. The power flow is conveyed by a 3-m diameter, 30-m long vertical dropshaft and 265-m long horizontal tunnel, both in rock. The powerhouse is located in a rock cut, and houses a horizontal double runner Francis turbine with a horizontal generator, output 3-MW. A 44-kV wood pole line connects with a nearby Hydro One transmission line.