CANADA: BC Hydro expands clean-energy supply with new solar project

CANADA, December 20 - BC Hydro has added a new solar-energy project to the clean-energy projects selected to advance from its call for power.

On Dec. 9, 2024, the Province announced that BC Hydro has selected nine wind-energy projects through its 2024 call for power that will supply renewable, affordable electricity to growing communities throughout B.C.

While BC Hydro was preparing the public disclosure of the successful

projects, one of the projects voluntarily withdrew and was not included in the announcement. BC Hydro has offered a 30-year electricity-purchase agreement to the next-highest evaluated project in order to maximize the power generation available through this call for power. 

The newly added project is the ShTSaQU Solar Project in the southern Interior near Logan Lake, which will provide 104 megawatts of capacity. The Independent Power Producer partner is BluEarth Renewables Inc. and the First Nation partner is Oregon Jack Creek.

Collectively, these 10 clean and renewable projects will generate approximately 5,000 gigawatt hours of electricity annually, enough to power half a million new homes, and will increase BC Hydro’s current supply by 8%. These projects are spread across nearly every region in the province. Their development and construction are expected to generate between $5 billion and $6 billion in private capital investment.

BC Hydro engaged extensively with First Nations on the design of the call for power, and included a requirement that projects must have a minimum 25% equity ownership held by First Nations. Eight of the 10 successful energy projects will have 51% equity ownership. This represents $2.5 billion to $3 billion of ownership by First Nations in new renewable energy projects in the province.

The Province and BC Hydro are committed to holding regular competitive calls for power based on electricity demand to ensure that B.C. has the clean electricity it needs as the economy and population grow, while keeping rates affordable.

In addition to the call for power, BC Hydro is implementing several actions to meet the increasing demand from population growth, housing construction, business and industrial development, and transportation. These actions will power more than one million new homes in the coming years. This includes:

• adding the Site C hydroelectric dam, which will power 500,000 homes;
• investments in energy efficiency, which are expected to save 2,000 gigawatt hours of electricity annually (enough to power 200,000 homes);
• renewing existing electricity-purchase agreements; and
• exploring the use of utility-scale batteries.

Solar projects with a capacity equal to or more than 50 megawatts require an environmental assessment by the BC Environmental Assessment Office.

Learn More:

For details about the Dec. 9, 2024, call for power announcement and the successful projects, visit:
https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024ECS0048-001643

For more information about the call for power, visit:
https://www.bchydro.com/2024CallforPower