Civil works start at Site C Clean Energy Project in British Columbia

Peace River Hydro Partners has started the C$1.75bn ($1.3bn) main civil works at the Site C Clean Energy Project, a hydroelectric dam and generating station being built in northeast British Columbia, Canada.

In this project, Peace River Hydro also partners with ACCIONA Infrastructure Canada, Petrowest and Samsung C&T Canada.

Site C construction is an important part of BC Hydro’s plan, as it holds the capacity to meet the demand of 40% electricity requirement in next two decades.

Canada Minister of Energy and Mines Bill Bennett said: "British Columbia is leading the country in economic growth. Building Site C is crucial for our province to maintain its competitive advantage of low cost, reliable, clean energy that attracts investment and drives economic development.

"Main civil works is the largest single contract for Site C and its start is an important milestone for the project."

Bennett further added that Site C will support long-term electricity needs in wake of growing economy and population, while in the next two decades the population is expected to rise by one million in British Columbia.

Under the contract, major civil works will include construction of earthfill dam, spillways, tunnels and a concrete foundation for the generating station.

Total construction cost of Site C project is C$8.8bn ($6.7bn) and it has the capacity to create employment for 10,000 persons per year.

The construction works are already underway since July last year and is slated to complete by 2024.

It is expected that upon completion, the hydroelectric dam and generating station will provide clean, reliable and affordable electricity for more than 100 years.