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Info Sheet - About Site C - January 2016_1
1. -more-
January 2016
SITE C CLEAN ENERGY PROJECT
INFORMATION SHEET
ABOUT SITE C
The Site C Clean Energy Project (Site C) will be a third dam and hydroelectric generating station on the
Peace River in northeast B.C.
Site C is being built to help meet
B.C.’s long-term electricity needs.
It will provide 1,100 megawatts of
capacity, and produce about 5,100
gigawatt hours of electricity each
year — enough energy to power
the equivalent of about 450,000
homes per year.
The Site C project received
environmental approvals from the
federal and provincial
governments in October 2014. In
December 2014, the project
received approval from the
provincial government to proceed
to construction. Once built, Site C will be a source of clean, reliable and affordable electricity for more than
100 years.
Key Project Components
Construction of the Site C project started in summer 2015, with completion scheduled in 2024. Project
components include:
Access roads and a temporary construction access bridge across the river at the dam site.
A worker accommodation camp at the dam site.
Upgrades to 240, 269, 271 and Old Fort Roads.
The realignment of six segments of Highway 29.
Two temporary cofferdams across the river to allow for construction of the earthfill dam.
Two new 500 kilovolt transmission lines connecting Site C to the existing Peace Canyon Substation,
along an existing right-of-way.
Shoreline protection at Hudson’s Hope, including updates to D.A. Thomas Road.
An 800-metre roller-compacted concrete buttress to improve foundation stability and seismic protection.
An earthfill dam, approximately 1,050 metres long and 60 metres high above the riverbed.
A generating station with six 183 MW generating units, and spillways.
An 83-kilometre-long reservoir that will be, on average, two to three times the width of the current river.
2. ABOUT SITE C
2
PO Box 2218
Vancouver BC V6B 3W2
Toll-free: 1 877 217 0777
Email: sitec@bchydro.com
www.sitecproject.com
Project Benefits
The construction and operation of the Site C project will provide significant economic, community and
environmental benefits for B.C.
Significant increases to GDP during construction: $3.2 billion to provincial GDP, including $130
million in regional GDP.
Thousands of jobs: Approximately 10,000 person-years of direct employment during construction;
33,000 person-years of employment in total.
Helps meet future electricity demand: Firm energy that can be relied upon to meet electricity needs
throughout the year, and much-needed dependable capacity to meet peak instantaneous demand.
Local government revenues: $40 million in tax revenues to local governments during construction; $2
million in revenue from grants-in-lieu and school taxes during operations.
Community benefits: $2.4 million annually to the Peace River Regional District and its member
communities for 70 years as part of a Regional Legacy Benefits Agreement. In addition, Community
Agreements have been reached with Chetwynd and Taylor, and discussions are continuing with other
communities.
Benefits for Aboriginal groups: Advancing opportunities for Aboriginal groups through capacity-
building and procurement, and negotiating impact benefit agreements, where appropriate.
Lower costs and more predictable rates: Lower, more predictable costs for customers than other
energy options. The independent Joint Review Panel found that “…in the long term, Site C would
produce less expensive power than any alternative.”
Clean energy: Among the lowest greenhouse gas emissions, per gigawatt hour, compared to other
resource options.
Builds on existing resources: Uses water already stored behind the W.A.C. Bennett Dam to generate
about 35 per cent of the energy with only five per cent of the reservoir area.
Integration of renewables: As a dependable and flexible resource, Site C will help integrate intermittent
renewables by quickly increasing or decreasing generation to match the output of intermittent resources
(e.g., wind, run-of-river hydro).
A Cost-Effective Resource Option
Site C has an estimated capital cost of $8.3 billion. This includes construction and development costs,
inflation, interest during construction, mitigation, First Nations accommodation and a significant contingency.
In addition, there is a $440 million project reserve held by the provincial government to protect against
unforeseen circumstances.
The project cost estimate has undergone extensive independent reviews. KPMG concluded that the
methodology used for the cost estimate and construction of the financial model was reasonable and
appropriate. An independent panel of contractors found that the estimate is sufficient for the proposed scope
and schedule of the project.
The Independent Joint Review panel found that “Site C, after an initial burst of expenditure, would lock in low
rates for many decades, and would produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions per unit of energy than any
source save nuclear.”