The B.C. government is looking at the potential viability of two massive new hydroelectric projects — floating the possibility of revisiting the Site E dam on the Peace River in the Northeast and a project on the Homathko River near Bute Inlet on the central coast.
Adrian Dix, B.C.’s energy minister, said these types of projects are needed to back up major recent investments in renewable energy projects that rely on the weather to generate power.
“It’s firm power that backs up intermittent resources, such as wind and solar,” Dix said, announcing the plans on Monday, June 15. “To get that capacity, we have to open all potential sources of generation, including new hydroelectric projects.”
Site E could provide up to 750 megawatts, while Homathko could provide roughly 900 megawatts. For comparison, the Site C Dam (now renamed for former Premier John Horgan) generates about 1,200 megawatts.
These explorations are in the very early stages, and even the technical review will require legislation to go ahead, Dix said.
This is because the Clean Energy Act bars the building of both Site E and Homathko. Dix says the proposed legislative changes would not fully remove those prohibitions at this stage.
These preliminary explorations will include initial consultation with communities and First Nations, Dix says. But most of that work comes later, once the project is in planning.
“At first, you have to assess the viability of the project in detail,” he said.
Dix said more power is needed to take advantage of a “generational opportunity” to meet demand in an array of industries, including mining.
“B.C. hydro is essential to mining development in B.C.,” he said. “It’s essential.”
BC Hydro CEO Charlotte Mitha says the utility projects a 20-per-cent increase in demand by 2030 and a 50-per-cent increase by 2050. On top of this, she expects a 40-per-cent bump in peak energy demand, such as on extremely cold nights, by 2050.
“We all know demand for electricity is rising faster than in the past, certainly in the past few decades,” she said. “And it’s driven by population growth, electrification, and new industrial development.”
B.C. is already building new capacity to deal with this, with two calls for power in the past two years set to provide enough power for for 850,0oo homes — though most of the new power will go to industrial users, such as liquefied natural gas plants.
The proposed Ksi Lisims LNG export terminal, for example, requires 600 megawatts, nearly as much as a new Site E dam would produce.
Those recent calls for power focused on wind and solar projects, leaving a gap on windless nights. Alongside these potential new dams, Dix said the province is looking to make up the firm power gap with new geothermal, biomass and utility-scale battery projects.
“In short, we’re looking at all the options,” he said.