The Nithi Mountain Wind Project, a joint venture between Stellat’en First Nation and Innergex, is one of nine wind-energy projects recently approved by the province of British Columbia as part of BC Hydro’s first competitive call for power in 15 years.
These nine projects are expected to generate nearly 5,000 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity annually, enough to power approximately 500,000 homes, and will increase BC Hydro’s current power supply by 8 per cent.
To expedite their development, Adrian Dix, B.C.'s Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions, announced on December 9 that the projects will be exempt from environmental assessments.
The nine projects will cumulatively generate between $5 billion and $6 billion in private capital spending, and Dix said that waiving the need for environmental assessment means they will be able to advance through development, construction, and completion faster, delivering clean power to the grid sooner.
"We need these new energy generation projects urgently to meet growing demand for power and accelerate our efforts to build a prosperous and inclusive clean economy," said Dix in a statement.
Four of the approved projects, including the Nithi Mountain Wind Project, are located in northern B.C., while four others are based in southern B.C., with one on Vancouver Island.
The Nithi Mountain Wind Project, which has a capacity of 200 MW, is a partnership between Stellat’en First Nation (51 per cent equity) and Innergex (49 per cent) in Bulkley-Nechako region.
Innergex is also a partner in two other northern B.C. wind projects: the 160 MW K2 Wind Project with Westbank First Nation in the central interior and the 200 MW Stewart Creek Wind Project with West Moberly First Nations in the Peace Region.
The nine successful projects were selected from 21 proposals submitted after a call for clean power in April 2024. The province noted that the cost of wind power has dropped significantly since its last competitive call for power in 2010, making these projects more cost-effective.
First Nations hold majority ownership of eight of the nine projects, and the province has assured that First Nations interests, along with environmental mitigation, will be fully protected throughout the development process.
-with files from Wolf Depner
