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The Site C hydroelectric dam on the Peace River near Fort St. John, B.C., is one of the biggest infrastructure projects in Canadian history but also the most expensive and controversial.

The site is the fourth largest producer of hydroelectricity in the province, with an expected capacity of 1,230 megawatts. The 83-kilometre-long reservoir was filled last November and the sixth and final generating unit came online in August, allowing the dam to produce more than 1,100 megawatts of electricity – enough to power the equivalent of roughly 500,000 homes annually.

However, the project has had its share of problems, which included a 400-metre tension crack on the north bank of the Site C dam site. The dam has drawn the ire of environmental groups and First Nations communities and it has been beset with significant cost and scheduling overruns.

It has also been complicated by geotechnical issues with unstable, landslide-prone shale rock underlying the project site and along the valley. At one point, issues were discovered with infrastructure such as the concrete buttresses that support the spillways and generating station.

The price tag of the project, though, ballooned. Initially, a 2007 feasibility study pegged the dam at a maximum of $6.6 billion. In 2011, the cost was hiked to $7.9 billion. A further revision in 2014 put the tally at $8.3 billion while a Deloitte report pegged it at nearly $10 billion.

The most recent publicly announced cost of the project has been reported at $16 billion, with a $440-million reserve. In 2021, the in-service date of the project was also pushed back a year.

The hefty price tag is reportedly due to factors such as massive cost increases for materials, and slowdowns and other pressures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and other factors. Work proceeded during the pandemic, but more safety and infection control measures had to be put in place.

��������ion began in 2015. The work entailed building an earthfill dam, powerhouse, spillways, an approach channel, six generating units, a substation and transmission connection to the provincial power grid. New boat launches are expected to open in the spring.

The project has involved flooding 128 kilometres of the Peace River Valley and its tributaries, which destroyed part of the traditional territory of Treaty 8 First Nations, submerging Indigenous burial grounds, cultural sites, and traditional hunting, fishing and gathering areas.

A group of more than 200 Canadian scholars had also raised concerns about the dam, and the Royal Society of Canada wrote to then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, arguing the project was not in the spirit of reconciliation and the government’s legal obligations to First Nations.

Environmentalists objected to destruction of farmland and thousands of acres of wetlands which put species that were already vulnerable to extinction at risk, including poisoning fish. They also argued destroying forests and wetlands would release carbon dioxide and methane, making the dam – promoted as clean energy – a source of greenhouse gas emissions.

The David Suzuki Foundation argued it undermines the rights of Indigenous people, harms the natural environment that First Nations communities rely on, and hinders the development of alternative power sources like wind.

In the end, all legal challenges were dismissed by the courts.

The fate of the project was up in the air for a while, as the New Democratic Party had promised that, if elected, it would conduct a review of the cost of continuing, suspending or terminating the project. After commissioning a study, the decision was made to complete the project.

Local First Nations communities were not the only ones affected by the project. Bald eagles also had nests in the area. In 2020, workers removed some 40 inactive bald eagle nests and built new nesting platforms near the shoreline of the reservoir to accommodate the birds.

In 2021, placement of material for the earthfill dam began and was completed two years later. About 16 million cubic metres of earthfill material was placed. The dam stands about the height of a 20-storey building and stretches more than one kilometre across the Peace River.

Today, with the final generating unit in place and online, crews are focused on finishing up smaller projects and addressing any deficiencies.

BC Hydro and government officials who attended a recent event held to mark the final generating unit coming online, said the project is important because it increases electricity supply in the province by eight per cent, and supports the growing need for clean power. 

“Bringing the final generating unit online is a proud moment for everyone at BC Hydro,” the utility’s president and CEO Charlotte Mitha said in a statement. “Site C represents years of dedication, innovation, collaboration and overcoming challenges. Now that Site C is in full operation, it will serve our customers for the next 100 years and play a critical role in ensuring a stable and reliable electricity system.”

BC Hydro will continue to monitor the shoreline of the reservoir and stability of the slopes, as well as the health of wildlife and fish over the operating life of the dam.