Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett and Chilliwack-Hope MLA Laurie Throness, along with representatives from Innergex Renewable Energy Inc., BC Hydro, Douglas First Nation and Sts’ailes joined today to celebrate the Tretheway Creek Hydroelectric Project.

The project is a 21.2-megawatt run-of-river hydroelectric facility located on Crown land on the northwest shore of Harrison Lake approximately 50 kilometres north of Harrison Hot Springs. It will produce 81 gigawatt-hours of renewable, emissions-free electricity annually, enough to power about 7,300 homes. The project includes the following main components:

• An intake structure, comprising a weir to create a head pond and an intake to divert a regulated amount of water from Tretheway Creek. The intake structure includes a fish ladder to allow fish migration.
• A 4.7-kilometre penstock to convey water downhill to the powerhouse.
• A powerhouse to enclose the two turbine generators and other equipment.
• A tailrace to return the diverted water back to the creek. It is designed to eliminate the risk of potential fish stranding.
• A switchyard to transform the generated electricity to the 138-kilovolt transmission voltage.
• A transmission line linking the project to the point of interconnection at BC Hydro’s Upper Harrison Terminal.
• Access roads, including existing forestry roads, deactivated forestry roads that were reactivated and a small proportion of new roads.

The Tretheway Creek Hydroelectric Project received an electricity purchase agreement from BC Hydro as part of the 2008 Clean Power Call.

The project is on the traditional territory of Douglas First Nation and Sts’ailes, with which the B.C. government reached revenue-sharing agreements in 2015. The agreements are the result of the First Nations Clean Energy Business Fund, which promotes First Nations’ participation in the clean-energy sector.

During the peak construction period there were more than 100 workers on-site. First Nations represented 15% of employment for the construction of the project, and more than 40% of employment for the construction camp and catering services.

Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. is a leading Canadian independent renewable-power producer that develops, owns and operates run-of-river hydro facilities, wind farms and solar farms in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, Idaho and France. In B.C., Innergex has 18 run-of-river hydro projects, three of which are currently under construction. The total capacity of these projects is 550 megawatts, representing an investment of over $1.5 billion. The Tretheway Creek Hydroelectric Project itself represents an investment of more than $100 million.

Quotes:

Bill Bennett, Minister of Energy and Mines –

“The Tretheway Creek Hydroelectric Project is the kind of private-sector, renewable-energy project that is a big part of B.C.’s clean and diversified energy supply. These independent power projects supply about 25 per cent of BC Hydro’s electricity today – an increase from just four per cent in 2001.”

Laurie Throness, MLA Chilliwack-Hope –

“Congratulations to everyone who has been involved in the development of the Tretheway Creek Hydroelectric Project. This facility shows what can be achieved when First Nations, industry and government work together to develop clean-energy resources in First Nations’ traditional territories.”

Michel Letellier, president and CEO, Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. –

“We are pleased to have commissioned our 34th facility, reinforcing our leadership position among independent power producers in British Columbia and indeed, in Canada, with a gross installed capacity totalling more than 1,200 megawatts. This project was realized thanks to the support and collaboration of the Douglas and Sts’ailes First Nations, with whom we enjoy solid long-term relations.”

Quick Facts:

• Demand for electricity in B.C. is expected to increase by up to 40% over the next 20 years as the province’s population grows by more than a million people.
• BC Hydro has electricity purchase agreements with 109 private-sector renewable-energy projects that are currently delivering power to BC Hydro, and 22 electricity-purchase agreements with projects currently in development.
• British Columbia’s clean-power industry has attracted more than $8.6 billion in investment, and the money is spent in local economies, including the province’s northern and interior regions.
• The private renewable-power sector has to-date supported 15,970 direct, full-time equivalent (FTE) person-years of construction employment in every region of the province with another 4,543 FTE person-years of employment in the works on forthcoming projects.
• In October 2015, the Province and BC Hydro signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Clean Energy Association of British Columbia (Clean Energy BC) that supports continued collaboration to deliver clean, reliable and affordable electricity to British Columbians.
• Since 2011, the B.C. government has invested more than $7.1 million in the First Nations Clean Energy Business Fund to support clean-energy opportunities for more than 100 successful Aboriginal applicants throughout the province.
• Today, 32 First Nations have signed 41 clean-energy revenue-sharing agreements with the Province. British Columbia is the first province to share revenues from private-sector renewable-energy projects, mining and other resources with First Nations.

Learn More:

Innergex Renewable Energy Inc.: www.innergex.com/en/

Clean Energy BC: www.cleanenergybc.org

First Nations Clean Energy Business Fund: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/natural-resource-stewardship/consulting-with-first-nations/first-nations-clean-energy-business-fund