Great video. Even with the dam's inflated costs it will be worth it because hydro power IS the backbone of the Canadian grid. Combined with nuclear power in Ontario and New Brunswick (and formerly Quebec) and more conventional hydro in BC, Manitoba, Quebec and Newfoundland the nation is already 85% carbon-free baseload powered. And that's before you add in other forms of renewables and the fact that Alberta went from 80% coal powered to 80% natural gas powered in about a decade well in advance of the 2050 deadline that was set before.. Now if we could only tame the tar sands using SMR's... Oh wait, that's on the books too!
@@stickynorth Thanks for the kind words! You’re absolutely right-hydropower is the backbone of Canada’s clean energy grid, and projects like Site C only strengthen that foundation. It’s impressive how Canada has transitioned so much of its energy to carbon-free sources, and Alberta’s shift away from coal is a big step too. The idea of using SMRs for the tar sands is definitely intriguing-lots of potential there!
Would also love to see a video on The James Bay Project and the Nelson River Project in Quebec and Manitoba respectively. Between them are dozens of dams either built or planned and how they have evolved over time to become some of the largest power plants on earth! Or maybe a video on CANDU reactors, Canada's nuclear power plant of choice!
Great suggestions! The James Bay and Nelson River Projects are incredible examples of large-scale hydropower, and their evolution over time would make for a fascinating deep dive. CANDU reactors are another great topic-Canada’s innovation in nuclear power deserves some spotlight. Thanks for the ideas, and stay tuned-you might just see one of these in a future video!
@@MegaBuilds5280 A water diversion was recently added to the La Grande complex which further increased the amount of power that it can produce. The reservoirs behind those dams are some of the biggest on the planet. Particularly notable is the fact that the modern high voltage power line was invented for this project. Without this advancement, they would have needed at least 3 times more power lines to get the job done. They are still to this day some of the highest voltage power lines on the continent.
Absolutely! The Columbia River has a fascinating story. From Grand Coulee to the dams in BC, it’s a powerhouse for two nations. Thanks for the suggestion.
The creation of Dinosaur lake did not flood farmland as said near the end of the video. Not sure where you got that information from. It filled in a steep walled canyon with water.
Thanks for watching and for the comment! Not quite! The W.A.C. Bennett and Site C Dams are definitely mega dams, both in size and power output. The Peace Canyon Dam, while important, is smaller. Together, though, they create a powerhouse system on the Peace River.
I worked for bchydro over 25 years WAC Bennett or as it’s known within bc hydro as GM shrum is mega, peace canyon is considered down stream, not sure about site C. kooteney Canal KCL is pure run of the river as it diverts a portion of the river. Mica dam feeds the Revelstoke dam on the Columbia
I'd like to see the potential of a Ontario "James Bay" project - the Mosinee and Albany rivers. I'd also like to see a comparison of in river turbines versus the typical build and environmentally destructive & river destroying dams.
Great video and project! This project while controversial locally is still muchly needed in a region whose economy still revolves around oil and gas, forestry and agriculture... And while BC Hydro has some of the cleanest generated power in Canada, the province loves its huge SUV's and trucks almost more so than here in Alberta which is why for all their talk about green grids and sustainability they use a tremendous amount of Alberta oil and gas. If we could all try and reduce our consumption of those things by electrifying our homes and vehicles it would make a difference when it comes to climate change targets AND local air quality... Even with Alberta pledging to use nuclear SMR's to power its industries including and especially oil and gas extraction it's a huge and wasteful industry that hasn't even come close to cleaning up the $100B worth of abandoned infrastructure it has now much less tearing up a part of the province the side of Florida to fuel it...
The green talk is the lower mainland, gulf islands and Victoria based, the majority of the land is ill suited for the short range of the non petrochem powered vehicles. As for myself, I only use transit and don't own a vehicle at all.
Thanks for sharing! You’re right-projects like Site C are a big deal for clean energy, especially in regions that rely heavily on oil, gas, and forestry. BC Hydro’s clean power is a great step. It’s a tough balance!
Thanks for watching and for the comment! The 21,901 number refers to gigawatt-hours (GWh), which is the total electricity generated annually by all three dams. That’s different from the Three Gorges Dam’s 22.5 gigawatts (GW), which is its maximum instantaneous capacity.
Thanks for watching it! What lessons can we learn from the Peace River's transformation, and how does it compare to other rivers around the world?
Great video. Even with the dam's inflated costs it will be worth it because hydro power IS the backbone of the Canadian grid. Combined with nuclear power in Ontario and New Brunswick (and formerly Quebec) and more conventional hydro in BC, Manitoba, Quebec and Newfoundland the nation is already 85% carbon-free baseload powered. And that's before you add in other forms of renewables and the fact that Alberta went from 80% coal powered to 80% natural gas powered in about a decade well in advance of the 2050 deadline that was set before.. Now if we could only tame the tar sands using SMR's... Oh wait, that's on the books too!
@@stickynorth Thanks for the kind words! You’re absolutely right-hydropower is the backbone of Canada’s clean energy grid, and projects like Site C only strengthen that foundation. It’s impressive how Canada has transitioned so much of its energy to carbon-free sources, and Alberta’s shift away from coal is a big step too. The idea of using SMRs for the tar sands is definitely intriguing-lots of potential there!
Suggestion for a topic on dam construction. Kariba, the largest man made lake by volume, and Cahora Bassa downstream, on the Zambeze river.
To my knowledge there is no Canadian grid connecting all of Canada. I wish there was. It would nice to connect BC to Newfoundland and Labrador.
Would also love to see a video on The James Bay Project and the Nelson River Project in Quebec and Manitoba respectively. Between them are dozens of dams either built or planned and how they have evolved over time to become some of the largest power plants on earth! Or maybe a video on CANDU reactors, Canada's nuclear power plant of choice!
Great suggestions! The James Bay and Nelson River Projects are incredible examples of large-scale hydropower, and their evolution over time would make for a fascinating deep dive. CANDU reactors are another great topic-Canada’s innovation in nuclear power deserves some spotlight. Thanks for the ideas, and stay tuned-you might just see one of these in a future video!
@@MegaBuilds5280 A water diversion was recently added to the La Grande complex which further increased the amount of power that it can produce. The reservoirs behind those dams are some of the biggest on the planet. Particularly notable is the fact that the modern high voltage power line was invented for this project. Without this advancement, they would have needed at least 3 times more power lines to get the job done. They are still to this day some of the highest voltage power lines on the continent.
The Columbia River has been transformed on both the Canadian and American side by multiple dams. Would be a great topic.
Absolutely! The Columbia River has a fascinating story. From Grand Coulee to the dams in BC, it’s a powerhouse for two nations. Thanks for the suggestion.
The tree crusher used to make wiliston lake is parked at Mackenzie. It's pretty impressive
This is the way, every Government project, should be constructed.
Not constructed to a budget.
This project, was constructed to meet a need.
The creation of Dinosaur lake did not flood farmland as said near the end of the video. Not sure where you got that information from. It filled in a steep walled canyon with water.
Agreed. Resident of BC.
One mega dam and two lesser run-of-river dams.
Thanks for watching and for the comment! Not quite! The W.A.C. Bennett and Site C Dams are definitely mega dams, both in size and power output. The Peace Canyon Dam, while important, is smaller. Together, though, they create a powerhouse system on the Peace River.
None of these are run of river dams.
I worked for bchydro over 25 years WAC Bennett or as it’s known within bc hydro as GM shrum is mega, peace canyon is considered down stream, not sure about site C. kooteney Canal KCL is pure run of the river as it diverts a portion of the river. Mica dam feeds the Revelstoke dam on the Columbia
I'd like to see the potential of a Ontario "James Bay" project - the Mosinee and Albany rivers. I'd also like to see a comparison of in river turbines versus the typical build and environmentally destructive & river destroying dams.
When natural gas prices rise a lot of that will be used to produce, compress and transport LNG.
Mega damm
Great video and project! This project while controversial locally is still muchly needed in a region whose economy still revolves around oil and gas, forestry and agriculture... And while BC Hydro has some of the cleanest generated power in Canada, the province loves its huge SUV's and trucks almost more so than here in Alberta which is why for all their talk about green grids and sustainability they use a tremendous amount of Alberta oil and gas. If we could all try and reduce our consumption of those things by electrifying our homes and vehicles it would make a difference when it comes to climate change targets AND local air quality... Even with Alberta pledging to use nuclear SMR's to power its industries including and especially oil and gas extraction it's a huge and wasteful industry that hasn't even come close to cleaning up the $100B worth of abandoned infrastructure it has now much less tearing up a part of the province the side of Florida to fuel it...
The green talk is the lower mainland, gulf islands and Victoria based, the majority of the land is ill suited for the short range of the non petrochem powered vehicles.
As for myself, I only use transit and don't own a vehicle at all.
Thanks for sharing! You’re right-projects like Site C are a big deal for clean energy, especially in regions that rely heavily on oil, gas, and forestry. BC Hydro’s clean power is a great step. It’s a tough balance!
21,000 Gigawatts or 21 Gigawatts ? 3 Gorges dam is 22 Gigawatts.
Thanks for watching and for the comment! The 21,901 number refers to gigawatt-hours (GWh), which is the total electricity generated annually by all three dams. That’s different from the Three Gorges Dam’s 22.5 gigawatts (GW), which is its maximum instantaneous capacity.
No peace 4 this river :(