The largest project in BC history will continue.
After years of review, Premier John Horgan announced on Friday the construction of the Site C dam will go ahead as planned despite the bloated cost overruns.
The Site C Dam is an under-construction run-of-the-river hydroelectric dam on the Peace River near Fort St. John in northeastern British Columbia.
Construction of the damn began in 2015 under the Liberal government and is halfway completed, and would cost the province $10 billion to cancel the project.
During Friday’s press conference, Horgan said the previous $10-billion budget has been increased to $16 billion, and the project will be finished a year later than expected and will be completed in 2025.
The budget has more than double what it was initially estimated to cost.
The COVID-19 pandemic and “unforeseeable geotechnical challenges” are being cited as the reason for the spike in cost.
The premier said more than 4,000 people are currently employed because of Site C construction, and was not willing to have them lose their work.
When completed in 2025, the Site C Dam will become the 4th largest producer of hydroelectricity in British Columbia with an installed capacity of 900 MW and an expected annual output of 5,100 GWh of electricity.
