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| Fig. 1: Hydroelectric Power Plant. (Source: Wikimedia Commons) |
In Canada, energy development is under the jurisdiction of provinces. In British Columbia, Canada's western-most province, 89% of the electricity generated is produced by hydroelectricity. The majority of the hydroelectric capacity was commissioned in the 1960s and 1970s along two river basins: the Columbia, (located in the southeast,) and the Peace, (located in the northeast.) Site C, a $6 billion dollar project, would be the third hydroelectric dam to be placed on the Peace River, but for the first time, hydroelectric power companies are being met with opposition from citizens. [1]
A hydroelectric power plant consists of four major parts: the dam, the turbine, the generator, and the transmission lines, as seen in Fig. 1. The dam controls the water flow. It raises the water level of the river creating falling water, which in turn creates a reservoir and stores energy. As falling water pushes against the turbine blades the turbine begins to spin. The turbine turns the kinetic energy of the falling water into mechanical energy. The turbine is connected to the generator by shafts or gears, and as the turbine spins so does the generator. This process converts the mechanical energy from the turbine to electrical energy. Finally, the transmission lines serve as the conductor of the electricity generated from the plant to the buildings. [2]
Site C was proposed in the mid-1970s by BC Hydro, one of the main hydroelectric power plant creators and operators of Canada. During this time, citizens became more skeptical of the environmental impacts of hydroelectricity and of the companies building them, so in 1980, the provincial government passed the Utilities Commission Act, creating British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC). This group had the power to review major energy projects and regulate public utilities and the petroleum industry in the province. [1]
As a result, BC Hydro had to apply for an energy project certificate. However, following several months of hearings, testimonies from opponents and proponents of the dam, and First Nations groups, (indigenous Canadians,) their request was denied. BCUC cited that the evidence that BC Hydro presented did not demonstrate that construction should start immediately or that Site C was the best option for a new energy development. Site C was delayed for decades following the ruling but was revisited six years later. However, the lasting impressions of the public outcry from the first hearing had a heavy bearing on British Columbia, and no new large hydroelectric facilities have been started in the province since. In 2007, the British Columbia government launched a reinvestigation into the Site C Hydroelectric Dam as part of its new focus on clean energy. The British Columbia government decided to put in place a five-stage development process for approval of the dam. The process checked for feasibility, technical proficiency, and potential environmental effects. In 2010, Site C stirred up more media attention as it looked to pass its third stage of development test. Over the past decade, the project has gone through much litigation by citizens of British Columbia. [2]
As aforementioned, First Nations groups have voiced much opposition to the construction of the Site C Dam because the dam could possibly force at least six First Nations communities off of their land. The dam is a project is being funded by the British Columbia government which has bred concern of increasing taxes for citizens. [2]
© Ramona Greene. The author warrants that the work is the author's own and that Stanford University provided no input other than typesetting and referencing guidelines. The author grants permission to copy, distribute and display this work in unaltered form, with attribution to the author, for non-commercial purposes only. All other rights, including commercial rights, are reserved to the author.
[1] N. Dusyk, "Downstream Effects of a Hybrid Forum: The Case of the Site C Hydroelectric Dam in British Columbia, Canada," Ann. Assoc. Am. Geogr. 101, 873 (2011).
[2] M. Antoine, "Hydroelectric Power Plants," Physics 240, Stanford University, Fall 2017.
