British Columbia approves $8.3B Site C hydro development

The final green light has been given to the $8.335 billion Site C Clean Energy Project in northern British Columbia.

The Site C Clean Energy Project is a third dam, reservoir and hydroelectric generating station on the Peace River, approximately 7 km southwest of Fort St. John in northeast B.C. Part of the project includes the realignment of six sections of Highway 29 over a distance of 30 km. The project is expected to create 10,000 direct jobs during construction. Approved by the Province of British Columbia on December 16, 2014, construction of the project is expected to begin in the summer of 2015 with completion estimated to be 2024.

With the final approval, the government and BC Hydro also released a fly-through video depiction of what the construction project would look like at various stages.

The workforce for Site C will be weighted towards heavy equipment operators to move large volumes of materials, like a mining operation.

BC Hydro’s labour strategy for Site C will promote local and Aboriginal hiring and BC Hydro has supported opportunities for skills training through funding to: Northern Lights College Foundation, Northeast Native Advancing Society, Northern Opportunities Apprenticeship Program, School District No.60, and the College of New Caledonia.

Site C will provide 1,100 megawatts (MW) of capacity, and produce about 5,100 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity each year — enough energy to power the equivalent of about 450,000 homes per year in B.C.