BC Hydro says it has begun filling the reservoir created by the massive Site C dam project in northeastern British Columbia.
The province’s energy utility said in a statement that filling the reservoir was one of the final steps toward beginning the controversial dam project, located about 14 kilometers southwest of Fort St. John, BC, the Canadian Press reported.
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BC Hydro said it will take between two and four months to fill the 83-kilometre-long reservoir, which will cover approximately 5,550 hectares of land and have a total surface area of approximately 9,330 hectares.
The utility company is warning people to stay away from the area for at least a year after the reservoir is filled due to potential hazards from unstable terrain and floating debris.
Construction of Site C began in 2015 under the Liberal government of British Columbia led by then-Premier Christy Clark, with estimated costs rising from 6.6 billion Canadian dollars in 2007 to 16 billion Canadian dollars in 2021.
After the NDP formed government in British Columbia in 2017, several groups opposed the province’s plans to complete the dam. However, former premier John Horgan said the dam must be completed, even though his party had not supported starting construction in the first place.
Horgan said at the time that abandoning the megaproject mid-construction would have meant laying off 4,500 workers and losing $10 billion in costs already invested in the dam’s construction. The result would be a 26% increase in British Columbians’ electricity bills over 10 years.
Groups such as the Peace Valley Landowner Association, Prophet River First Nation and West Moberly First Nations had opposed the project on environmental and land rights grounds.
BC Hydro said construction is now more than 85 percent complete and the first power plant on site is expected to begin operations in December.
When all six units are operational by fall 2025, BC Hydro says Site C will increase generating capacity by 1,100 megawatts and produce about 5,100 gigawatt hours annually — an increase of about 8% in the province’s total electricity supply.
BC Hydro said that when fully operational, Site C will provide enough clean electricity to reliably power nearly 500,000 homes or 1.7 million electric vehicles.
The province’s energy utility added that the project remains on schedule and can be completed within the $16 billion budget set in 2021.
The idea for Site C – a third dam on the Peace River in northeastern British Columbia – was conceived decades ago, but was shelved in 1989 due to local opposition.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 25, 2024.
