Northern B.C. climate change solutions
Dokie Wind Farm
Location: Chetwynd, B.C.
Status: In Construction
Capacity: 300 MW
The Dokie Wind Project will deliver 340,000 megawatt-hours per year of clean electricity to BC Hydro, commencing on March 1, 2011, under a 25-year EPA, through a partnership between Plutonic Power and GE Energy Financial Services. The project includes 48 Vestas V90 wind turbines, a switchyard and transmission lines at a total project cost of $228 million. The project is on-time.
Bear Mountain Wind Park
Location: Dawson Creek, B.C.
Status: Operational
Capacity: 102 MW, AltaGas - 102 MW
Bear Mountain Wind Park, located near Dawson Creek, is British Columbia's first fully-operational wind park. In October 2009 the Park was commissioned and fully connected to the B.C. power grid. Today it delivers enough clean, renewable electricity to power most of B.C.'s South Peace region. The power from the project is sold to BC Hydro under a 25-year contract. Bear Mountain Wind Park features a single row of 34 3-MW Enercon E-82 wind turbine generators. Each turbine is 78-metres tall to the hub. The turbines are placed at minimum, 160-metres apart along the ridge of Bear Mountain. The site, which covers approximately 25 hectares, is still used for cattle grazing and by the public for hiking, snowmobiling, cross country skiing and other recreational activities.
Mackenzie Green Energy Centre (biomass electricity generating plant)
Location: Mackenzie, B.C.
Status: Development Phase
Capacity: 59 MW
The Mackenzie Green Energy Centre is a proposed 65 MW (thermal equivalent) bio-energy generation facility located in Mackenzie, British Columbia. This project will harness energy from woodwaste and produce thermal energy for the adjacent pulp mill, while producing 50 MW of electricity for the BC Hydro grid. The Mackenzie Green Energy Centre is an innovative wood waste project that contributes to environmental sustainability, increased economic development and provides a source of green energy to British Columbia. The Mackenzie Green Energy Centre will harness energy from wood waste in BC's northern interior to produce enough green electricity for up to 50,000 homes per year, provide an economic source of steam to the Pope & Talbot mill through co-generation, facilitate the closure of beehive burners and contribute to improved air quality.
UNBC Biomass Gasification System
Location: Prince George, B.C.
Status: Operational
Supplied by Vancouver-based Nexterra Systems, the biomass gasification technology at UNBC converts local sawmill residue into a synthetic gas that is then burned to produce heat with ultra-low emissions. The $15.7 million project is being funded by the provincial and federal governments and is being constructed by IDL Projects of Prince George. The system will be heating all of the University’s core buildings and reducing fossil fuel consumption by about 85%.
Benjamin Creek Hydro Project
Location: McBride, B.C.
Capacity: 6 MW
The Benjamin Creek Hydro Project is a 6 MW run-of-river project located 25 km from McBride. The project relies on the natural grade and flow from the main southern tributary of the Castle Creek. A pipe diverts partial flows and carries the water down a shallow sloped route along the side of the valley to a point above the powerhouse. A high pressure steel pipe takes the flow down the mountain side into the powerhouse. After exiting the powerhouse, the water is returned to the Castle Creek. The project qualifies as clean or renewable electricity in accordance with the guidelines published by the B.C. Ministry of Energy, Mines, and Petroleum Resource.
Hauer Creek Hydroelectric
Location: Valemount, B.C.
Status: Operational
Capacity: 2 MW
Hauer Creek Power Ltd. (the proponent) has constructed and commissioned a run-of-the-river hydroelectric project near Valemount, B.C. The project diverts water from Hauer Creek and Duncan Creek, runs it through a turbine and then replaces it back into the streams. The project is located on the north-facing slope of the Caribou Mountains. It was commissioned in June of 2007 and is currently in operation. The hydroelectric installation has a generating capacity of approximately 3 MW, and sits on a lease of 0.5 hectares of land.
Hystad Creek Hydroelectric
Location: Valemount, B.C.
Status: Operational
Capacity: 6 MW
In June 2002, the Hystad Creek small hydro project was connected to the provincial electricity grid. Hystad Creek is a 6 MW project, located about 5 km west of Valemount, B.C. The project is run-of-river, which means that there is no dam. A low weir acts as a diversion structure, but will not result in flooding. Owned by IPP East Twin Creek Hydro Ltd., the Hystad Creek facility will generate approximately 20 GWh of electricity per year.
Williams Lake Biomass Power Plant
Location: Williams Lake, B.C.
Status: Operational
Capacity: 66 MW
The Williams Lake station is the largest biomass power plant in North America. The overall plant configuration is based on a conventional power cycle used in typical utility thermal plants. The major equipment includes a boiler to produce steam, a steam turbine to extract the thermal energy for conversion to electric power, a condenser to convert the exhaust steam to water, a high voltage step up transformer, a solid fuel handling system, an ash removal/handling system and other steam cycle auxiliary equipment. The electricity produced by the plant is sold at fixed terms under a long-term contract to BC Hydro. The terms of the power purchase contract extend to 2018. When the plant was originally constructed, it provided a solution to a long-standing air quality problem in the area. Utilizing wood waste from local sawmills enabled those mills to close their beehive burners, which in turn reduced particulate emissions in the area by over 90%.
150 Mile House Energy Recovery Generation Project
Location: 150 Mile House, B.C.
Status: Operational
Capacity: 5 MW
The 5MW project generates electricity by capturing waste heat created by existing gas compressors on Spectra Energy's main natural gas pipeline. The project has a 20-year electricity purchase agreement with BC Hydro. Brown Lake Hydroelectric Project Location: 50km Southwest of Prince Rupert Status: Operational Capacity: 7MW Located 50 km southeast of Prince Rupert and accessible only by water or air, the Brown Lake Hydroelectric Project was commissioned by Westpark Electric in November 1996. The site is divided by the Ecstall River which is a major tidal tributary of the Skeena River. The plant is comprised of a powerhouse located on the western shore and a substation located on the eastern shore adjacent to an existing BC Hydro 69kv transmission line. he plant consists of a powerhouse, housing a single Francis turbine and associated 13.8kv switchgear, control and ancillary equipment, as well as the building lighting and ventilation systems. A short overhead powerline carries the generator output to a terminal pole transition, into a 1500m run of submarine cable across the Ecstall River. Another terminal pole on the east shore, and a short overhead powerline brings the output to the east shore substation where the generated voltage is metered and transformed to 69kv for connection to BC Hydro s transmission line.
Mount Hays Wind Farm
Location: Prince Rupert, B.C.
Status: Development stage
Capacity: 29 MW
The Mount Hays Wind Farm will be located on a 731 hectare parcel of land on the southern slope of Mount Hays, approximately 4 km south of Prince Rupert, British Columbia. It will generate electricity from 18 wind turbines, each capable of producing 1.5 megawatts (MW) of electricity for a project total of 27 MW. Once in operation, the wind farm will produce enough electricity for 10,000 homes from a renewable, clean energy source.
