Coastal projects secure BC Hydro contracts

BC Hydro Clean Power Call advances renewable hydropower in British Columbia, awarding run-of-river contracts like Box Canyon (15 MW, 50 GWh/year), supporting jobs, capital investment, and Clean Energy Act targets with penstock-fed powerhouses and dam-free

Two Sunshine Coast run-of-river hydro projects have been awarded BC Hydro electricity purchase agreements in the most recent Clean Power Call.

BC Hydro announced that it has awarded its 27th and final contract of this call to Box Canyon Hydro Corp./Sound Energy Inc. for its Box Canyon Hydro run-of-river project, located 9 km northeast of Port Mellon. The project, which has a capacity of 15 Megawatts, will generate 50 gigawatt hours of energy annually. According to BC Hydro, the project does not require a dam, but rather relies on the natural grade and flow of the river a portion of the flow is diverted into a penstock pipe which conveys the water to a downstream powerhouse.

"The Clean Power Call brings us closer to the Clean Energy Act commitment of making British Columbia electricity self-sufficient by 2016," Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Bill Bennett said in a statement. "The 27 clean energy projects that have been selected will entail capital investments of more than $3.8 billion and create more than 3,800 person-years of employment."

In a previous announcement March 11, BC Hydro awarded a contract to NI Hydro Holding Corp., representing Stlixwim Partnership and Stlixwim First Project Corp., for the Ramona 3, Chickwat Creek and CC Creek Projects, independent power projects located approximately 30 km north of Sechelt. The projects, with a capacity of 45 Megawatts, will generate a total of 198 gigawatt hours of energy annually. According to BC Hydro, the projects do not require a dam but rather rely on a natural lake reservoir and the natural grade and flow of the creeks a portion of the flow is diverted into a penstock which conveys the water to a downstream powerhouse.

Renewable Power Corp, which runs the Tyson Creek Hydro Project north of Sechelt, is the majority shareholder in NI Hydro Holding Corp, as two new generating stations were officially commissioned in B.C.

BC Hydro chose the 27 projects, as it plans to keep up with demand across the province, from amongst 68 proposals submitted by 43 proponents in the course of this most recent Clean Power Call.

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