This generating station project includes the replacement of three 1.8-kilometre penstocks with a 2.1-kilometre tunnel through bedrock (completed in Sept. 2016); construction of a replacement generation station upstream of the existing station; replacement of the water intake at the John Hart Spillway Dam; and the construction of a new water bypass facility within the new generating station. The current station has been providing energy to the B.C. grid for more than 67 years, and this project aims to improve safety features to protect it against seismic activity, continue to provide reliable hydroelectric power, and protect downstream fish habitat from water flow disruptions.
First Nations have signed project impact benefit agreements with BC Hydro. In February 2014, BC Hydro announced that InPower BC was awarded the contract to design and build the project, the cost of which remains well within the range initially submitted to the British Columbia Utilities Commission. Construction began in summer 2014 and is expected to be completed by late 2018.
