Standing on the banks of the Peace River, I watch as water cascades through the massive concrete structure that has transformed this valley. The controversial Site C dam, after years of delays, budget overruns, and intense debate, is now fully operational – channeling the river’s power into British Columbia’s electrical grid in a milestone moment for the province’s energy landscape.
“This is a generational investment in clean power,” says Sarah McIntosh, BC Hydro’s regional operations director, as we tour the facility on a crisp April morning. “The dam will generate enough electricity to power 450,000 homes annually for the next century.”
The $16 billion megaproject reached full operational capacity last month, marking the completion of a journey that began with initial approval in 2014. Construction faced numerous setbacks, including geotechnical challenges, COVID-19 disruptions, and fierce opposition from environmental groups and Indigenous communities who have called this land home for millennia.
For the provincial government, Site C represents a crucial addition to B.C.’s renewable energy portfolio. Premier David Eby attended the official launch ceremony, emphasizing the project’s role in meeting growing electricity demands amid climate change pressures and the push toward electrification.
“As we transition away from fossil fuels, reliable hydroelectric power becomes even more essential,” Eby said during the ribbon-cutting. “Site C will help power our homes, businesses, and growing electric vehicle fleet with clean energy for generations.”
But the celebration masks deep divisions. When I visited the West Moberly First Nations community center last week, Chief Roland Willson expressed continued frustration over what he describes as a profound loss.
“They’ve flooded hunting grounds and medicinal plant harvesting areas that our people have used since time immemorial,” Willson told me, gazing at maps showing the reservoir’s 128-kilometer footprint. “The environmental assessment identified significant impacts that cannot be mitigated. This isn’t just about electricity – it’s about our rights and relationship to the land.”
The reservoir behind the dam has submerged over 5,500 hectares of land, including boreal forest, agricultural areas, and sites sacred to Indigenous peoples. BC Hydro points to its $40 million environmental mitigation program, which includes wildlife habitat restoration and fish passage monitoring, but critics maintain these efforts can’t replace what’s been lost.
Dr. Karen Bakker, a water governance expert at the University of British Columbia, has studied the project extensively. “Site C represents a 20th-century approach to energy development in a 21st-century context,” she explains when I called her about the dam’s completion. “Large hydroelectric projects deliver reliable baseload power, but they come with significant environmental and social costs that weren’t fully accounted for in the original assessments.”
The dam’s 1,100-megawatt capacity arrives as B.C.’s energy landscape undergoes dramatic transformation. CleanBC, the province’s climate action plan, calls for 100% clean electricity and a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. According to BC Hydro’s latest integrated resource plan, electricity demand could grow by up to 50% over the next two decades as industries and transportation electrify.
Walking through the powerhouse, the scale of the engineering achievement is undeniable. Eight massive turbines convert the power of falling water into electricity, with enough capacity to contribute approximately 5,100 gigawatt-hours of energy annually to the provincial grid. For perspective, that’s roughly equivalent to 8% of B.C.’s total electricity consumption.
For nearby communities like Fort St. John, the project’s completion brings economic questions. At peak construction, Site C employed over 5,000 workers, many housed in on-site camps. Now, the operational phase requires only about 100 permanent staff.
“The boom-bust cycle is something we’ve prepared for,” says Fort St. John Mayor Lilia Hansen. “The challenge now is transitioning those workers and supporting local businesses that grew during construction.”
The project’s legacy will be shaped not just by its power output, but by how it influences future energy decisions. B.C. faces growing pressure to develop additional electricity sources as climate policies accelerate electrification across transportation, buildings, and industry.
Environmental groups who fought against Site C are now pivoting to advocate for distributed energy resources like solar, wind, and battery storage. “We need to learn from this experience,” says Emma Gilchrist, executive director of the Watershed Sentinel. “The next generation of clean energy shouldn’t repeat the same pattern of environmental sacrifice and Indigenous rights violations.”
For now, as spring runoff increases water flow through the turbines, the Site C dam stands as both achievement and controversy – a reminder that even clean energy comes with complex tradeoffs. The reservoir will take approximately three years to reach full capacity, gradually reshaping the landscape I see before me.
As I prepare to leave, I notice a small group of people on the opposite shore – members of a local Indigenous community conducting a water ceremony. It’s a poignant reminder that beneath the technical and political dimensions of energy infrastructure lie deeper questions about our relationship with the land and water that sustains us all.
