Site C Dam

The Site C dam (or "Site C Clean Energy Project") is a proposal by the British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority (BC Hydro) for a large-scale earth fill hydroelectric dam on the Peace River in north-eastern British Columbia, Canada. A cost estimate produced during the 2007 feasibility study placed the financial cost at a maximum of C$6.6 billion based on the 1980 design, safety, and engineering standards. An updated cost projection was released in May 2011 placing the estimated cost at $7.9 billion. Designs call for an estimated capacity of approximately 900 MW and an annual output of 4,600 GWh of electricity.

If built, it would be the third of four major dams on the Peace River that were initially proposed in the mid-twentieth century. The first project, dubbed "Site A", is the flagship W. A. C. Bennett Dam 19 kilometres west of Hudson's Hope. That facility was completed in 1967 and began operation in 1968. Construction of "Site B", the Peace Canyon Dam, was completed in 1980 at a point 23 km downstream of the W. A. C. Bennett dam. The third dam – "Site C" – was also proposed at the time for a site 83 km downriver of the Peace Canyon dam, or approximately 7 km southwest of Fort St. John. The initial proposal was never completed, however it was turned down after BC Utilities Commission hearings in 1982, and was again rejected in 1989. It has since come under review as BC Hydro reconsiders expansion of its dam capacity on the Peace. The fourth proposed dam on the BC segment of the Peace River, Site E, near the BC/Alberta border was taken off the planning process during the 1982 hearing.

In April 2010, the provincial government announced plans to advance planning for the facility, moving it to the regulatory review phase. The government expects the process to take about two years, including independent assessments of the project's environmental impact and consultation with area residents. The announcement also called for the site to be operational for domestic energy production by 2020.

The proposal is controversial as the reservoir would require the flooding of approximately 5,340 hectares of land and over 100 km of river valley along the Peace River and its tributaries. This would include over 3,000 hectares of wildlife habitats, heritage sites, and "Class One" and "Class Two" agricultural land. Members of the Treaty 8 First Nations boycotted the official announcement ceremony at the Bennett Dam in April 2010, while the West Moberly First Nations has publicly stated that it is considering legal action to oppose the dam.