I agree with the Site-C project and other hydroelectric projects in the future. Much has been learned from past projects and the environmental damage caused, and new rules have been implemented to mitigate those damages as much as possible.
Construction Labour that are standing around and holding our government hostage for our hard earned money is destroying our country. We need regulations and caps on construction labour! It is out of hand and they are taking full advantage of our hard earned tax dollars.
I grew up in BC and now live in Alberta. My perspective is that the people saying Site C was not needed were completely focused on BC only. Fact is the grid is tied to -all- most of North America - I watch the Alberta Energy System Operators real time generation website regularly, as I write this, BC is importing 154-190 MW from Alberta, likely to cover AC usage - Alberta is primarily NG generation. With Site C online, BC may be exporting power instead, reducing carbon output. I can see the Alberta grid is sometimes used to "transport" BC power to Montana and Saskatchewan - we all need each other, especially during high demand periods like heat waves and cold snaps. I will give Horgan credit for someone finally getting him to understand this.
That's it exactly. We need a blended system of electricity generation and the more linked our provinces and the USA are the better it will be for everyone. When Wind and Solar are in high production, they can send power to BC and BC can save the water in the dams. And when solar and Wind is low in the prairies, BC can send power to them from it's network of dams. And the same with the prairies and Manitoba and its extensive hydro electric infrastructure.
Gas plants are prone to malfunction during extreme weather, both hot and cold. Both Texas and Alberta have experienced this, and were helped (some say rescued) by wind power in recent extreme events. As for domestic gas power in Alberta, several of my relatives and their friends have just recently made the choice to go with large rooftop solar arrays backed by home scale battery packs in their garages mainly due to the recent dramatic spikes in domestic gas fired power prices, which happen to occur right after the conservative Alberta government decided to act against free enterprise and apply moratoria and huge bundles of red tape on Alberta's phenomenal $40 billion renewable power industry. Of course, the timing was just coincidental, right, considering that a few years ago wind power market auctions were outcompeting gas and coal on price. The premier herself was a fossil industry employee and currently receives major political donations by her pals in gas.
@@ub59 "Gas plants are prone to malfunction during extreme weather, both hot and cold." False I live near them. "Both Texas and Alberta have experienced this, and were helped (some say rescued) by wind power in recent extreme events." Can't speak for Alberta but the Texas "extreme event" was just the opposite.
It's true. Natural gas plant outages helped lead to an almost-blackout during the alberta -45 C cold snap this winter. It was only averted thanks to an emergency government text message, saying to reduce usage. The more green backup power on the grid, the better, I say. I wish our premier wasn't sabotaging green power
@@ub59 Gotta love and support a premiere, who wants to break up Canada…oops…gain “sovereignty”. Where would she find all her “petro” buddies then, when she has to figure out the energy grid for landlocked, newly formed state, with a leader who swings her head in so many positions, I’m surprised she doesn’t get whiplash more often! It’s not just our energy sector she’s blundered and halted growth since placing her butt in the premier chair…our entire Healthcare system is in TRIAGE mode…and she continues to alter, meddle, and change anything she wants - without getting SOUND scientific advice from Canadian experts! But…oh no…according to her Trump buddies pricey “advice”…and we know how well the healthcare system is working to care for its citizens south of the border! The US model is based on business/money first model. Naturally, a healthcare system requires financial input and responsible spending, and proper oversight. I would never trust the current provincial government and premier, following the costs and ongoing blunders she has made time and again…only to “apologize” for in another statement, before she makes her next, bigger blunder! She is not trustworthy! Why put the most import thing in her hands…my life and those of ALL Canadians! Our lives are too precious and irreplaceable! Lives are not something you gamble! Life is mot some blunder or miscalculation that can be reversed or fixed and later apologize for. We are concerned with the quality of health and lives…NOT money…the only thing that grabs her attention! I sure hope our Natural Resources are better protected than we have been, since the current government got in. I know the Indigenous peoples can certainly speak to the mismanagement of land, resources, etc. And sadly, they can speak to the irresponsible planning and mismanagement of this forrest fire season…Lord help us in the years ahead! The only good thing about this premier and government is that they can be voted out…and that is the cheerful note I will end on - LOL!😉 Cheers!🇨🇦
Demand for power is actually rising now for the first tine in decades. In 15-20 years they will be SO glad they built that dam. Should build more if possible
Bingo.. And 15-20years ago when they talked about building this everyone was against Site C because the power wasn't needed at the time. Those people don't realize the power is now actually needed.
Even though it's clean energy, we have to be careful when we say "power demand is increasing". We need to consider the other side of the medal, like energy waste and overproduction. All the lights that stay on 24h/7, bad insulation, plants that overproduce 24/7, etc.
@@Simboiss power demand is increasing, that is not even debatable. The desire to find more efficient end-use is always a good thing, but no matter how much you improve efficiency the DEMAND is ever increasing. We found savings when we switched from incandescent to LED lights, but that savings didn't match the increase of demand. We won't be finding a magic efficiency button any time soon. Time to build more input .. BEFORE we have a problem with output.
It is most indisputably NOT the most expensive hydro project built in Canada. That honor goes to the James Bay project in Quebec which, in today's dollars, would be anywhere from $20B to well over $30B depending on who you ask. There's also the Churchill Falls / Muskrat Falls generating system...which eventually cost close to $15B. Not that $12B is anything to sneeze at...but facts are facts.
Of note on both “projects” was the company that did the costing. AND held major contracts on both SNC Lavalin Gotta wonder how big they were in costing and construction of TMX
He's fibbing about a lot of stuff. Like why did he say treaty 8 is larger than France, but then say 10k hectares will be damaged? 10k hectars is 38 square miles. France is 213,011 square miles!
@@tarstarkusz Treaty No. 8, encompassing a landmass of approximately 840,000 kilometres, is home to 39 First Nations communities, including 23 Alberta First Nations, 3 Saskatchewan First Nations, 6 Northwestern Territories First Nations, and 8 British Columbia First Nations.
@@tarstarkusz The tributaries going into the Peace River probably cover a much wider area, than the reservoir limits, and the total area aught to be bigger than some countless in area. Gives you a sense of the colossal size of ecological impact.
I'm all for fighting climate change and keeping habitats as much as possible, but these organisations call for builds to be canceled and stopped but don't offer any solutions. If companies followed these organisations, millions of houses around the world wouldn't have electricity, many wouldn't have clean water etc.
What do you tell people like me that live right next door to this, don’t want it and get nothing in return for the destruction of the place I call home?
@@rickschlosser6793 I don't know your specific situation, but it would need to be factored in to the overall cost to provide you a fair compensation for your (and all your neighbours) losses. But it still seems it's not a "yes/no" but a" yes, but in this way" decision.
The Greater Good... but seriously, Sorry its happening in your back yard, but again sadly, has to happen somewhere or we don't have power. Hope it does as little damage as possible. Good luck to you.
@@richradka Living less than 10 kilometers away, I would think there would be some compensation. My ‘ethnicity’ means I get no compensation. Only certain other ethnic groups qualify for compensation.
I currently work for BC Hydro, and the amount of power that we generate, use, and export to other provinces, the U.S., and Mexico is crazy. We not only need Site-C, but a multitude of others as well to fulfill the upcoming demand. Especially if the Government wants to go full electric.
Agreed... plus.. I live in BC, and I've seen the electricity rates elsewhere!!.. Have you seen the price of electricity in the UK?!?!?.... I love my cheap energy rates!.. Build baby build!!!
Are you sure because I have worked for the power company and we are usually over on the grid and shut down hydro because it’s just wear and tare on units. We don’t have the rivers or we can’t build major dams due to wildlife impact. If anything we are going to nuclear energy and when I worked there I was always on edge
@@Lewis2931 Yup. I sure am. Every work day (M-F) at 15:00 REV and MCA Dams bring an additional generator online until 23:00ish to help fulfill the load demand coming from mostly California, Oregon, Washington State, and of course the Vancouver metro area. That's when their peak demands are. (Kids getting out of school, and adults going home from work to turn on/up their AC, cook, flip on the TV, or computers to play video games) When that peak is fulfilled, those 2 generators go back offline. Weekends will see them coming back online as demand on the grid increases. And that is just with our current loads. Can you imagine how bad it's going to be when the amount of EVs has doubled or even tripled in market saturation? As long as there is a good river system, Hydro power will continue to be the 1st option because it's renewable, safer over-all, and cleaner than the others. Wind turbines are decent, but they just can't put out the stable supply, Solar arrays are only viable in regions of wide openness that can't really support agriculture.
We Are in Unchartered Financial Waters! every day we encounter challenges that have become the new standard. Although we previously perceived it as a crisis, we now acknowledge it as the new normal and must adapt accordingly. Given the current economic difficulties that the country is experiencing in 2024, how can we enhance our earnings during this period of adjustment? I cannot let my $680,000 savings vanish after putting in so much effort to accumulate them.
Keeping some gold is usually a wise decision. You would be better off keeping away from equities for a bit or, even better, seeking advice from an expert given the current market conditions and everything that is at risk with the current economy.
Thank you for saving me hours of back and forth investigation into the markets. I simply copied and pasted her full name into my browser, and her website came up first in search results. She looks flawless.
A much needed project. I hope to see the Peace River dammed downstream in the decades to come. Your point about 35% of the energy produced, with 5% of the impact of the Bennentt Dam is understated. That is a massive benefit. BC is blessed with a natural resource that can be exported to it's neighbours to the South and East. The greenwashing argument it truly frustrating. The world uses energy. If you want to decarbonize, projects like this are essential.
You HOPE for a dam? Wtf?! Why on earth would any sane person do that? The damage they do is astronomical. As is nuclear. People need to grow up and start limiting themselves.
@@TedTedness I agree with the fellow above but solar and wind can be used to supplement but it's not nearly as reliable and stable as hydro. They work well together
While I agree that the Hydro power is good, we probably won't be building more dams here is BC in the foreseeable future. Really, we should be turning our eyes towards nuclear power generation.
I live within an hourish of Bennet dam (largest reservoir/lake in BC), Peace Canyon Dam, and now site C coming online in next couple months. I've lived a very affordable energy life due to the dams my forefathers have given us, and my children will also, due to growth in renewable energy. Politics, COVID and inflation have made this project costly, but it doesn't matter. It's overall still an affordable gift of cheap power for generations. Look at other provinces, and compare the cost of power. Which provinces have enough, and which need more for their citizens and corporations? BC is looking after its energy needs for its people and economy, affordably. Affordable energy is how civilizations prosper. Look across the globe, and you'll see. On the subject of flooding the peace river and effected land by doing so, I wish all online complainers could have driven the old highway and seen it for themselves. The south river side is mostly a tall river bank, and completely uninhabited. The North side is a tea cup of the globe's ocean, in relation to land taken. A mostly narrow river bank(s) being flooded. Now we have a new lake to enjoy, to go along with Williston and Dinosaur.
I've lived in Fort St. John (the closest community to Site C) for about a decade - I've also worked on both the Site C project and the CGL pipeline project. Thanks for putting this video together, you did a great job!
One error in your explanation. The head gate is not used to control water flow it is used to shut off water flow to isolate the turbine for repairs if nessary. The water flow control if accomplished by the wicket gates that surround the turbine and are controlled by the turbine's governor.
The dam is a much needed project for an increasing population and it will generate a lot of wealth. On another note:-- Start calling it PACIFIC COLUMBIA as it is more appropriate. Britain invaded many countries during its 300 years of its greedy empire and killed more people during that time than were killed during WWII. Its a fact. Spread the word. - Pacific Columbia.
Yah. Seems like the easiest thing to do would be to tap some of that gas for the energy needed to cool it. Going against that easy path and using hydropower instead is a positive in my mind.
Nobody talks about this. We do the same with our lumber, and then buy it back for a huge markup after it has been processed (despite having our own facilities).
@@Tight_Conduct Meanwhile here in the USA all of our lumber industry has been shut down to support the caanadian monopoly because of some stoopid spotted owl... and instead the govt burns the lumber releasing more carbon than any coal mine ever did. I'm sure the owls love them fires... And then they use the smoke from the fires as excuse to shut down clean burning coal energy plants. Treason abounds.
As someone who was born in BC and currently still lives there the Site C damn was a very important addition to our electrical infrastructure....oh and I'm also an Electrician which helps understand the complexities that other renewable energy can't deliver in any sort of comparable way in regard to similar levels of power. Yes wind and solar play a role but it's intermittent and only reliable as an addition to a stable source like hydro. Oh, and this dam has been planned since the 70s and it should have been built long before now. Looking forward to seeing it up and running and may do a tour next time I'm out that way. The Revelstoke Dam tour is pretty interesting if anyone wants to learn more about how hydro electricity is generated and wants to see it first hand.
If you want to live a "modern" life (including indigenous people) you need electricity, Canada is a cold and clowdy place in the winter, most renewables don't work in Canada but there is a lot of water so this is a reasonable alternative!!
search wikipedia for cost of electricity and it will tell you that gas fired, wind and geothermal are equally the lowest cost per kwh production. and while Canada may be clowny it is definitely not 'clowdy'
@@ZoomZoomMX3”Limited Ecological damage” is completely false. Nuclear energy is much more better alternative to hydro electric power. Dams can completely destroy a local ecosystem. Here I’ll give you an example from my speciality of frogs. The California Red-legged frog populations were steadily declining because of the fact that dams would destroy their offspring and mating habitats when the dams would release water. Dams might work for now however when we lose species because of dams, then you’ll finally learn.
You are missing 1 important factor in Canada's power generation: 80% of the power generated in Canada is sold to the US grid for less per watt to the consumer than the bulk corporate rate the lowest Canadian consumer pays. ( the American home-owner's power bill is less than the cheapest power rate in Canada and most Canadian power is sold to the Americans screwing over the Canadians. )
We used to be known for our renowned technology, education, Universities and so much more, now we are at third world stats. What a shame to loose our # 1 status thanks to the politicians of the last 11 elections.
@@deborahsacco186 - Mass migrations has brought ghettoization and violence in our peaceful cities . Canada has returned to religious ghettos and local culture bashing . I despise my nation in 2024 .
This is a chimera in 2024 . Khanada, islamized spelling, is a violent and viciously diverse tapestry of non-homogeneity . Migrants have not and never have been allowed to become Canadians . We locals were/are imposed a multitude of cultures that for many are simply barbaric and gross . Stop propagating the Canadian of 1960's 70's and even 80's ... Idea . It does not exist anymore .
Energy storage will still cost more than is worth it with the technology that we have especially in northern areas that experience cold weather, how long does your car battery last? Batteries can be recycled yes but it costs energy to do it just like keeping them in a heated environment which yes will increase their life. Dams are perfect like natural gas because you can control the output based on demand whereas like what was said in the video wind and Solar you have no control over and cost more than the return. Wind and solar are for entertainment purposes only and are not feasible options to phase out O&G
@@aaykay4060 A much needed project for an increasing population and it will generate a lot of wealth. On another note:-- Start calling it PACIFIC COLUMBIA as it is more appropriate. Britain invaded many countries during its 300 years of its greedy empire and killed more people during that time than were killed during WWII. Its a fact. Spread the word. - Pacific Columbia.
The Peace River Partneship group of companies that is the main contractor of this project has the distinct honor of receiving the largest fine, twice by Worksafe B.C.. The response from the partnership was basically... "So, whatever, it's public money that will pay the fines."
Yeah we can: nuclear. High production of reliable baseload power in a minimum of space using fuel that can be mined domestically. No CO2 output either if you think that matters.
@@patrickr2601 Thank you for responding that you are against nuclear power. Which of the following alternatives do you find least objectionable? 1. Flooding thousands of hectares of land to power hydroelectric dams. 2. Exploiting slave labour and fossil-fuel-powered mining operations to extract cobalt in Africa for the purpose of building electric batteries for EVs. 3. The mass slaughter of bird and whale species with wind turbines that do not produce electricity when the wind stops blowing, thus necessitating a parallel baseload power grid. 4. Covering vast expanses of arid farmland with solar panel that do not produce electricity when the sun is obstructed, thus necessitating a parallel baseload power grid. 5. The burning of oil/coal/natural gas in conventional power plants to supply the electrical grid with necessary baseload when the wind ain't blowing and the sun ain't shining?
Thanks for making this video! I'm applying to work at BC Hydro and this was an excellent overview of the Site C Dam project. I particularly liked how you delved into the controversies of the project. You've earned a new subscriber :)
The article mistates the treaty obligation. If the treaty was as stated the entire aera of the treaty would be limited to the use of indigenous hunting and fishing. Instead the treaty allows for the right for indigenous people to contimue using it for hunting and fishing but does not define it as for the exclusive use of indigenous peoples for that purpose. That said consulting with the people who live in the area is only reasonable..
thanks for the clarification. I was like "an area bigger than France, in Canada, is forever the domain of a small group of people" seems like another illogical plan if those who live in Canada are to remain living in and sharing Canada for the benefit of everyone.
@@wantedasriel1310no one ever knows how to pronounce our Indigenous place names, even when they’re anglicized 😂 I live in Esquimalt, which used to be considered Victoria as far as addresses go, but now every time someone not local is reading my address out they butcher it 😂
I worked at LNG Canada Kitimat, it’s a rumour right now that Site C will power the LNG plant. LNGC wants to get both trains running first, then start phase 2 for trains 3 and 4 before they shut down Train 1 for converting it to electrically powered, then move down the line to the following trains. It’s smart and itll boost Canada’s economy a lot.
There are multiple reasons why the dam shouldn't be built. A - the farmland on the north bank. As someone else mentioned prior in a different comment, the South bank mostly a straight face, no where to really farm it. There is a few locations, but no more than probably 500 farmable acres on the south side. Of which, besides a recently installed pipeline that runs from 120km's north south to the Plant that is the start of the CGL pipeline (it's not in Dawson creek, but about 40 km west) there is no access to this land. The north side has a bunch more, but for the most part the flooded sections were tree covered. Now the sections that weren't tree covered were reportedly the "best farmland outside of the Fraser valley" and was considered "the future breadbasket of the North". Couple problems with this though. The vast majority of the crop pulled from this section of the peace valley has been hay, or some form of grain. The same crops pulled from up on top. One farmer did try and do potatoes the one year, it was a major bust as there is no place for potatoes to get processed. He did local selling, majority of it was turned into fertilizer the next spring. So farmland wise, meh. Not that bad, not that big of an issue. B - Soil stability. Site C has been planned since the 70's. Not a single engineer until 2014 would sign off on the project due to the fact that the entire peace valley is formed from shale. There is no solid ground. I heard a rumor that the engineer who did eventually sign off on it, was from china. Not sure if true, but honestly wouldn't be surprised. Have seen a number of Chinese companies poking around south of there trying their hands at coal mining, only to realize there is hardly a profit doing so right now. Hell the main mine in Tumbler is only just being turned back on after like 15 years of low idle to 0 productivity. Back to the stability, there has been a number of slides over the years in the peace river. One almost closed it off about 40-50 years ago. So I would consider that a valid concern. C - Local facility usage. The construction of site C has brought a few people to town. I believe numbers hovered around 2400 a month working on the structure at any given time. Local concern was the construction of assets that would be used during the construction phase of site C, but during operations due to the lack in need for people, would be shut down. This also covered housing, as a number of houses in town were built in anticipation of this, which is great. Except it forced the housing market up. Since the project has since completed and the majority have since left or are leaving (they started filling at the beginning of the month), housing has started coming back down somewhat. D - Environmental concerns. There was a large wetlands that is now about 5 feet underwater at current, and there was a large number of animals that roamed the north bank. I personally have hunted elk on the northern bank. There was a large deposit of Mercury rock(?) that had to be mined and dug out of an island in the middle of the river, I personally don't know if they got it all. All I know is that they had excavators and scrapers digging 50 km up river in the center of the river for about a year and a half. You can still see the road to it on google maps. It's just past the Ferrell Creek road going west. That getting into the water, would be catastrophic. But, apparently they got it all. There was also concerns about trees being left behind a popping up like rockets as they did in WAC Bennett for years. I feel that the reserve was logged sufficiently. Driving past it last week, most the remaining foliage was young willow growth. E - First Nation Rights. Due to the treaties, the first nations have a lot of land that is being affected by this. Now someone else mentioned that treaty 8 covers 800,000 km and this is only going to flood like 10,000. That there is 34 FN along the river. While true, the dam only affects 5 bands. Blueberry, Profit River, Halfway, Doig River, Moberly, Saulteau. There might be some others claiming being affected, but these are the ones in the local area. They lose land, ancestral burial sites, hunting grounds, and they kick up a fuss. Which we really don't need more of. F - Cost. Original total cost was 6 billion when construction started. At current, with it filling it sits at 16 billion. The blow back on this is an increase in the price of hydro in BC. Incase you didn't know, BC Hydro is a state run organization. It is also, the only hydro outfit in BC. As such the pricing is dictated by the state. Hydro prices have jumped up a fair bit, which everyone kinda saw coming. There is also the fact the hydro isn't staying local, its going south. As in across the BC/Washington State border. As in to California. And frankly, people up here are tired of being scalped and having our resources shipped south then sold back to us at a higher price. Except in this case, its going south for nickels on the dollar thanks to NAFTA. So ya. The turn around on the price tag to seeing it making a profit, is going to be significantly longer than the LNG project he glossed over in the video.
i was a foreman on this project and it was alot more than 12 billion. you had so many inexperienced workers, and well most of the management was incompetent, and had no experience in construction, and to boot you would have anywhere from 15-45 engineers on shift, that basically had no business being engineers. this all equates to alot of mistakes and costly ones, im not allowed to say but some major problems occurred in the spillway where they had to add 100+ more piles. because of poor engineering which cost ALOT i won't even give you figures
24 billion $ for just 1100 MW? That's absolutely crazy. LG-2, which was put into service in 1979, had a cost of $3.85 billion --> between 16 and 17 billion in today's money. Its installed power is 5 616 MW and it produces over 40 TWh per yeah. Add LG-2-A to that for a total cost of ~$21 billion in today's money and 7722 MW installed power in total. Someone's getting screwed somewhere :)
Thanks for your research, well done script and narration. Many of us appreciate your work. I am from Vancouver, and am very interested in this content.❤
The dam is a much needed project for an increasing population and it will generate a lot of wealth. On another note:-- Start calling it PACIFIC COLUMBIA as it is more appropriate. Britain invaded many countries during its 300 years of its greedy empire and killed more people during that time than were killed during WWII. Its a fact. Spread the word. - Pacific Columbia.
Like all dams it has only one turbine hall whereas in Australia in 2016 a proof-of-concept test was run for dams to have up to three turbine halls . The test ran by RDP Marine in NSW and overcame the standing reasons given for it being a nonstarter
@@aaykay4060 hi ok so the main hall is placed to use hi pressure water and for each dam that is the limiting factor of usable water available . But my system can be added to dams thus multipal halls or if it ever
@@aaykay4060 what I am on about is retro fitting more turbines to dams to make more power from the same volume of water currently used thus extra turbine's will be needed and so extra turbine hall made to house them
The valley to be filled with water is a very rare, east west valley (so a great deal of sunlight) of prime farm land. When the unfolding climate catastrophe creates global and local food shortages, the farmland will be needed to produce much needed food. In British Columbia, Canada the project is known to environmentalists as the "dam" site C project.
If all the methane extracted gets burned there's zero net reduction in carbon as compared to building a natural gas power plant instead. And then add the impact of importing groceries from California forever... It's only green if you engage in logical fallacies. It's only economically viable if you're on the side of the fence getting a paycheque. Screw everyone else in the province for 24k per household.
Hey, I'm all for doing something about climate change, but this argument might not be the best one to lean on. While it's true that the Site C dam will flood a fertile east-west valley, it's important to consider the broader context of climate change and its impacts on agriculture in Canada and why this argument against the damn is a bit self defeating. Should the "unfolding climate catastrophe" warm our climate enough to lead to the food shortages predicted, this does not actually apply to Canada. In fact, Canada is expected to experience a significant increase in arable land due to longer growing seasons and the northward shift of temperate zones. This expansion of cultivable land will absolutely dwarf the relatively small amount of farmland lost due to the construction of the Site C dam. Studies suggest that Canada would see a net gain in agricultural capacity, potentially becoming a key global player in food production as traditional farming regions in other parts of the world face increased challenges from climate change. The loss of farmland from Site C, while not insignificant, must be weighed against this much larger trend of increasing agricultural potential across the country. Furthermore, the Site C dam will provide a reliable and renewable source of energy, helping to meet the province's future energy needs sustainably, which is also critical in the context of climate change. Balancing these factors is crucial for making informed decisions about our future food and energy security. But anyway.. didn't mean to make that comment so long, but i hope you can see the issue with the objection.. It's predicated on an inaccurate assertion of the outcomes of climate change, at least for Canada.
Wrote a paper about Site C (I live in BC), with the push for EV's and heat pumps legislation surrounding their use it only makes this project more and more vital to a greener future.
@@morbital Maybe you studied how power dams affect the environment in a negative way? David Suzuki did some sort of report on it and it was not a very glowing review.
@@schrempskynate8944 You think I wrote a university paper and didn't consider the negative consequences of a project? That's a great way to receive a failing grade... That's why my paper weighed the pros and cons of alternative energy sources and even just straight cuts in energy use. Hydroelectric remains the best option for energy in BC with the least amount of negative impacts.
I worked at site for a good 8 months on the commercial side of the building. The turbines are directly next to the commercial, and they're absolutely MASSIVE
I was just at the Bridge River site. Bridge River 1 has been around almost 100 years. Construction started before the depression, but that and WW2 delayed completion until 1946. I'm not sure if the turbines have been upgraded, but in any case, nearly 100 years of emissions free service says something about Hydro-Electric Power. Bridge River 2 is now making power and hopefully will run for 100 years while Bridge River 1 approaches 200 years.
@@reneethibeault5129 same here and do believe that most of our city didn't want that dam and it's a shame we really have no say what goes on in our back yard ☹
so, there is a number of arguments. Some good some bad. A - the farmland on the north bank. As someone else mentioned prior in a different comment, the South bank mostly a straight face, no where to really farm it. There is a few locations, but no more than probably 500 farmable acres on the south side. Of which, besides a recently installed pipeline that runs from 120km's north south to the Plant that is the start of the CGL pipeline (it's not in Dawson creek, but about 40 km west) there is no access to this land. The north side has a bunch more, but for the most part the flooded sections were tree covered. Now the sections that weren't tree covered were reportedly the "best farmland outside of the Fraser valley" and was considered "the future breadbasket of the North". Couple problems with this though. The vast majority of the crop pulled from this section of the peace valley has been hay, or some form of grain. The same crops pulled from up on top. One farmer did try and do potatoes the one year, it was a major bust as there is no place for potatoes to get processed. He did local selling, majority of it was turned into fertilizer the next spring. So farmland wise, meh. Not that bad, not that big of an issue. B - Soil stability. Site C has been planned since the 70's. Not a single engineer until 2014 would sign off on the project due to the fact that the entire peace valley is formed from shale. There is no solid ground. I heard a rumor that the engineer who did eventually sign off on it, was from china. Not sure if true, but honestly wouldn't be surprised. Have seen a number of Chinese companies poking around south of there trying their hands at coal mining, only to realize there is hardly a profit doing so right now. Hell the main mine in Tumbler is only just being turned back on after like 15 years of low idle to 0 productivity. Back to the stability, there has been a number of slides over the years in the peace river. One almost closed it off about 40-50 years ago. So I would consider that a valid concern. C - Local facility usage. The construction of site C has brought a few people to town. I believe numbers hovered around 2400 a month working on the structure at any given time. Local concern was the construction of assets that would be used during the construction phase of site C, but during operations due to the lack in need for people, would be shut down. This also covered housing, as a number of houses in town were built in anticipation of this, which is great. Except it forced the housing market up. Since the project has since completed and the majority have since left or are leaving (they started filling at the beginning of the month), housing has started coming back down somewhat. D - Environmental concerns. There was a large wetlands that is now about 5 feet underwater at current, and there was a large number of animals that roamed the north bank. I personally have hunted elk on the northern bank. There was a large deposit of Mercury rock(?) that had to be mined and dug out of an island in the middle of the river, I personally don't know if they got it all. All I know is that they had excavators and scrapers digging 50 km up river in the center of the river for about a year and a half. You can still see the road to it on google maps. It's just past the Ferrell Creek road going west. That getting into the water, would be catastrophic. But, apparently they got it all. There was also concerns about trees being left behind a popping up like rockets as they did in WAC Bennett for years. I feel that the reserve was logged sufficiently. Driving past it last week, most the remaining foliage was young willow growth. E - First Nation Rights. Due to the treaties, the first nations have a lot of land that is being affected by this. Now someone else mentioned that treaty 8 covers 800,000 km and this is only going to flood like 10,000. That there is 34 FN along the river. While true, the dam only affects 5 bands. Blueberry, Profit River, Halfway, Doig River, Moberly, Saulteau. There might be some others claiming being affected, but these are the ones in the local area. They lose land, ancestral burial sites, hunting grounds, and they kick up a fuss. Which we really don't need more of. F - Cost. Original total cost was 6 billion when construction started. At current, with it filling it sits at 16 billion. The blow back on this is an increase in the price of hydro in BC. Incase you didn't know, BC Hydro is a state run organization. It is also, the only hydro outfit in BC. As such the pricing is dictated by the state. Hydro prices have jumped up a fair bit, which everyone kinda saw coming. There is also the fact the hydro isn't staying local, its going south. As in across the BC/Washington State border. As in to California. And frankly, people up here are tired of being scalped and having our resources shipped south then sold back to us at a higher price. Except in this case, its going south for nickels on the dollar thanks to NAFTA. So ya. The turn around on the price tag to seeing it making a profit, is going to be significantly longer than the LNG project he glossed over in the video. I'm sure that Renee or Troy could add more, but ya. This is some of the concerns.
Nuclear power is reliable and fairly safe but if you are unfortunate to have an accident like Chernobyl it will take generations to recover and the cost would be terrible.
I think it’s important to point out that, north west of the site C damn, is a giant golden triangle. Super rich in minerals and precious gems. With the electricity produced in site C they can extract and develop more mines.
Even using it to LNG processing, it's a way to stabilise the solar/wind generation during the day, so the solar surplus could be used for the LNG plant during the day, while the hydro catches up at night. The LNG project would be probably paying for the whole dam and another GWs of tax credits for solar
It would have been efficient to build a hydro line corridor along the Costal Gas Link corridor. Is the LNG Canada site planning on using site C electricity?
It is amazing how people are always against some mega project then when it produces you could not get the people to not want it. Imagine trying to build the Hoover Dam in Nevada today. It would never happen.
I live in BC and have been hearing about this project for many many years. Ultimately I think building the dam is better than not building it, even though there are many issues. In the long term hydro power is a power source that every country on earth would love to have access to, we would be fools to not take advantage. As for who ultimately profits from this that is another messy issue. But having clean electricity is better than not having it in the decades to come.
A much needed project for an increasing population and it will generate a lot of wealth. On another note:-- Start calling it PACIFIC COLUMBIA as it is more appropriate. Britain invaded many countries during its 300 years of its greedy empire and killed more people during that time than were killed during WWII. Its a fact. Spread the word. - Pacific Columbia.
I emailed the NDP incessantly about the need to complete the Site C dam and I'm very glad they actually changed course and continued the project to completion. BC Hydro imported millions of dollars worth of power last year, and was debating whether to increase power to all users across the province as a result. With the Dam complete the issue will be mitigated for quite some time to come, and unless the government decides to invest heavily in nuclear power, we just don't have the climate here for large solar and wind installations so hydro is our best bet for relatively green energy, even if that comes at some insanely slight environmental cost.
The problem with nuclear is when you make a nuclear power plant, you really need to make 4 of em, so you can have one of em shut down and have 3 running while the other is being shut down so that it can be refueled. It's also really hard to make a small nuclear power plant and still have it produce electricity at a low price. Canada just doesn't have enough people out west to justify that.
@@theredscourge There's lots of promising new technology out there that could change that. But yes, the current CANDU reactors would be impracticable in BC.
Hydro, along with any physically rotating generation source is enormously beneficial to the frequency stability of the grid. This is a major problem with solar and inverter based wind. California is already massively struggling with this because they have too much PV and not enough physically rotating generation sources.
14:14 they are hiring "ONE" conservation officer to look after the wild life! 😂 As my favorite villain, The Joker, says "Y'know they're schemers. Schemers trying to control their little worlds. I'm not schemer. I try to show the schemers how pathetic their attempts to control things really are!!"
I live in BC along the Columbia River, one of the most dammed rivers in the world. My father ran an electrical consultancy specializing in power generation and distribution. He spoke often of the practicalities surrounding that. As his son, I understand we need power but my thoughts often wander to what is lost when reservoirs are filled. This video glosses over that. When the Hugh Keenleyside Dam was finished in 1968, we lost the 4th largest bread basket in the Province of BC. The ability to grow grains, livestock, fruit and vegetables with capacity exceeding the Creston area and on par with the Okanagan Valley. Gone. Wildlife are forever affected as well. With their habitat and migratory routes gone, they suffer and in many cases, disappear as the salmon and many wetland species have done. These impacts are significant. We don't have lakes. We have reservoirs called lakes. The water level fluctuates dramatically and as the water level drops, the shoreline turns into a barren landscape, prone to dust storms. You don't see many boats parked at docks because docks are difficult to maintain as is the access to them. The beaches, once plentiful, are now few and far between. So the word "renewable" has to be taken in context, as does the design meant to withstand a 10,000 year earthquake. The reservoirs will likely be filled with sediment by then so if the dams do blow, it'll be a wall of mud with a bit of water. And very little electricity being produced just prior to that. Humans - 0. Planet - 1. The planet always wins in the end.
Just a reminder that the WEF Agenda has been at their program for over 100 years and have buried all GOOD info that we all need to know. As an example there is no water shortage anywhere. It is just deeper than they have told us but the pristine huge reserves are enough to look after the entire world continuously, as the actions of Volcanism creates pure water and OIL. Oil is NOT a fossil fuel. period. Texas oil fields are refueling themselves and they are just capping them to pretend it's not happening. (Trump and Bidenomics going on behind everyone's back). Same in Canada notice all the meters on your water ...what a sham! All to create a mass illusion of shortages.
I'm for the advancement of people, even over wildlife. Beavers are found all over the planet so one dam in bc isn't going to disrupt the big overall picture much if at all, for any species. Human flourishing must come first.
@@howebrad4601 It can all be done in coordinated harmony that considers all life as precious. Sacrifice the pawns and ask questions later? That model is outdated.
@@howebrad4601 A typical response from someone who reaps all the benefits of hydroelectric power with few if any immediate repercussions. Humans need to eat. If we flood much of our best farmland for hydroelectric power, what will the people eat? May not seem like an issue now but wait until our population doubles or triples and places like California and Mexico are crispy dry with depleted aquifers. Your response demonstrates a lack of appreciation or understanding the complexity and interconnectedness between all living creatures and ecosystems. We don't exist in a vacuum. Then consider that 90% of all creatures who have ever lived on this earth are extinct and ask yourself how long it will be until this happens to humans. Whether we caused it or not, the planet is heating up and soon enough, we'll be crispy critters too. May take hundreds of generations but it's coming. Then it will be cockroaches, wasps and ants that rule the world. We'll reach a point where we don't have enough power to run all our air conditioners, regardless of how many rivers we dam. Beavers don't dam entire large river systems. Humans to that. Beavers dam small creeks and create wetlands that hold water and support a plethora of other animals, creating habitat instead of destroying it as humans do. So your comparison demonstrates once more how little you understand about wildlife and ecosystems.
@@jimross898 well also consider the grand scheme of things. You say it floods precious farm land, likely true, but you should take into consideration if all that lane was actually farmable land. Also consider the lands outside of your specific little area. BC is huge, what we have is land. Although its important to do proper environmental assessments and make judgements to make sure we aren't being dumb, we also need to consider OUR impact and the needs.
RE: LNG. I'd love it if wind/solar/tidal/nuclear power was a viable solution to every country on this planet right now. We don't live in that world. Norway is one of the leading renewable-powered countries on this planet, but they still get rich from exporting natural gas and oil. Canada should do the same.
We are much closer to that world than we might think, and if we don't push for it, then that future might not happen in time. The next 10- to 20-years are critical to avoid the worst effects of climate change. Natural gas is 99.9% methane. Infrastructure for processing this gas is particularly bad for the environment. Methane has 80X the greenhouse potential as CO2 and its very light gaseous nature makes methane leak through the smallest holes and crevices (fugitive emissions). The use of "natural" in the gas's name is a smart marketing ploy. Canada's 39.7M population is small which can help with the transition. Canada's population is less than California's 41.74M. Shanghai metro has almost 30M people alone and that's just *one* of China's several 20+M cities. Canada is almost a ghost town in comparison with a lot of land and shoreline. That land and shore helps with renewables and many other forms energy generation like hydro and nuclear. Canada's grid is already 81% *non-fossil* fueled powered. B.C. leads with 95.5% of its 64.3TWh grid powered by non-fossil fuels. Unfortunately, next door Alberta lags and pulls down Canada's numbers with 90% of its 76.1TWh grid powered by fossil fuels. :-( In a broader context, much less than 1% of the world's land surface in just current generation photovoltaics can power all the world's grids. There is enough offshore wind to power the world several times over. The USA can actually power its entire 4200TWh annual grid with just ~0.7% of its 3.1-million square mile land surface in photovoltaics. This doesn't even include any wind power which the US has a large amount of already. The US grid is approaching if not past 50% non-fossil fuels with the latest growth mostly from renewables. Worldwide in 2022, 80% of all new energy additions were from renewables. Critically, renewables (especially solar) are now at historical low costs per MWh generation and still continues to drive ever lower! If the world transitions away from fossil fuels before Canada does, the price of fossil fuels may reach such a low level that it will cost more money for Canada to produce natural gas than it does to sell it. A transition like these don't happen linearly, but an exponential S-curve starting slowly but accelerating very quickly through to maturity when the transition completes and levels off again.
@@beyondfossil All good points, thanks for that. A smart informative comment on YT? Hang on let me spin a top, got to make sure I'm not dreaming LOL Sadly I don't have much confidence that our greedy short-sighted species can avoid the worst effects of climate change. Even if we magically became carbon-neutral today, the northern permafrost is not going to stop melting. There's *gigatons* of methane sequestered in that ice. I see this mess getting a lot worse before it gets better. I hope I'm wrong. Well doom & gloom aside, switching to renewables & nuclear just plain makes sense. Fossil fuels are a finite resource. But look what happened to Germany. They made the incredibly stupid short-sighted decision to decommission their nuclear industry. When the Russian War started, they were literally left out in the cold, had to increase their reliance on fossil fuels including "natural" gas. I'm all for the renewable energy future, but we have to work with the world we have today. Maybe Canada investing in LNG ends up being an exercise in chasing phantoms. Or maybe Norway thumbs their noses at us for missing out on this opportunity. Everything's a trade-off, everything's a risk.
A much needed project for an increasing population and it will generate a lot of wealth. On another note:-- Start calling it PACIFIC COLUMBIA as it is more appropriate. Britain invaded many countries during its 300 years of its greedy empire and killed more people during that time than were killed during WWII. Its a fact. Spread the word. - Pacific Columbia.
Every time you make a dam, you flood a lot of land. It's hard to justify flooding out a huge amount of land in order to avoid climate change, as you are eradicating whole ecosystems.
A much needed project for an increasing population and it will generate a lot of wealth. On another note:-- Start calling it PACIFIC COLUMBIA as it is more appropriate. Britain invaded many countries during its 300 years of its greedy empire and killed more people during that time than were killed during WWII. Its a fact. Spread the word. - Pacific Columbia.
Thanks for creating and sharing this very informative video. As a lifelong resident of BC I support both projects. Their impacts on North American & global energy needs are greatly beneficial. As well as the fact that the energy is green & clean, especially when compared to other forms such as wind and solar. People have little or no idea of how huge an impact wind and solar have on the environment. They tend to not understand how much mining it takes to provide the rare earth minerals needed for battery storage, for both those energy sources, and are ignorant of the fact that both solar panels and wind turbines have a reasonably short shelf life and need replacement every decade or two. Thus to keep them up and running, the mining of the earth must increase and continue indefinitely. Very few things are more impactful to the environment in multiple ways than mining.
The dam is a much needed project for an increasing population and it will generate a lot of wealth. On another note:-- Start calling it PACIFIC COLUMBIA as it is more appropriate. Britain invaded many countries during its 300 years of its greedy empire and killed more people during that time than were killed during WWII. Its a fact. Spread the word. - Pacific Columbia.
It should be noted that Treaty 8 has basically two signatories, Canadians and aboriginal groups. Treaty 8 does not prohibit development of the land. Abos can still continue "as before", even if none of us do.
@@theorenhobart As if there's no where else to hunt deer. I bet you're using a modern rifle, though, right? Decked out in camo, going in on a quad. We can't cherry pick the changes that please us while denying the ones that don't. We can't hide the deception behind ethnicity and some lofty idea that we're any more a part of the land than our countrymen.
@@theorenhobart The south side of the reservoir was steep slopes and no roads anywhere close. The reservoir will cause a slightly warmer winter micro climate that would probably enhance wildlife.
@@stevegoad4133warmer microclimate that will probably enhance wildlife?! That’s a very generalized blanket statement. Which wildlife will probably be enhanced?
🙄. What does it mean to 'opposite' power?? If you are trying to say "oppose hydro power" then watch the video again because several reasons were given opposing the Site C power plant.
@@Normally_aspirated Nope, it's mostly transient workers on this one. Good thing too, the city couldn't handle the wave of unemployment when it's over if they weren't.
Hey! Hello, I just want to say some fun fact. The province of Québec produce like 97% of his electricity from the hydroelectric power. The government owned all the company of electricity in the 60’s and they created Hydro-Québec. I like the dams and your video was very instructive and interessant👏.
@@darsharhef wtf are you saying? Yes, we buy your electricity VERY cheap. Excuse our society for that… BUT, there are WAY MORE barrages in the province of Québec than the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. You have Churchill falls. We have The Manic-Outardes, the La Grande (LG) or Installation Robert Bourassa, and many other "minor" barrages.
So the tax payers get to pay the bill for the dam as well as monthly electricity bills, and that raw deal enables big oil to sell their stuff at an even higher price that the taxpayers get none of?
Site c was not selected earlier because the ground around that portion of the river is not hard rock stable. the reservoir will have decades of slumping issues.
Bc hydro is cutting corners, and I highly doubt that site c has been properly engineered as they are way over their proposed budget. Not to mention the trees they left in would a safety risk for years to come just like they still are a safety risk at wilston lake
@@JerezIwiski I live there. not too worried about the trees honestly. Loggers did as good a job as they could within the time frame. The main river sits at about 99% proper logged. Only saw 1 small section that they didn't cut. Not sure of the subsidiaries but what I could see it looked like they took what they could. While I'm not sure on the cutting corners part, I do know that the construction side was a complete and utter shit show. I do know that they never hit bedrock while piling.
@gareth3035 I live in the area too, and done deliveries to the dam. I was also told stories about williston lake, plus the fact it was never logged before the dam built there got filled and now there's a danger of trees getting lose from the bottom and rocketing up to the surface. Should of got rid of all of the trees so that wouldn't be a hazard in the future.
I enjoy the irony that the same people who argue that we don't have enough electricity for electric cars also argue that there's not enough demand for electricity to justify building site C
The problem is, there's about 5.5 million people in BC, and so far the cost of this thing is up to $24B, so that works out to $4,347 per citizen, or $17,391 per household if the province were a series of households of 4.
@@chrisheatley706 The taxpayer always pays for it, or more accurately, they pay twice its cost over the life of the debt that's been taken out on their behalf by their government. These projects never pay themselves off anymore.
@@theredscourge but why are you implying that households provide the bulk of tax revenue, and that the project will recover none of its financing. It doesn't seem to reflect a very sophisticated understanding of how anything works in modern society.
I am from another part of the world, firstly many thanks for bringing about the point otherwise it might never come to my awareness; then my perspective of the dam is obviously for it, it is a very natural human interaction with that site, plus you have so much more benefit from that project, especially the utilisation of the electricity for LNG export, not just to Asian parts, think about other people who have limited access to electricity, if not I think you could figure out many other ways to use those electricity; lastly I shall say you guys need to go for it, by examples to others falling behind.
The dam behind site C hold enough water for 24 hours of power production. Thats it. The only reason Horgan ended up going ahead with the project was because the previous government threw all the money they could scrape up to push construction so far ahead that it was cheaper to build the dam than to quit and fix the damage done., In that they succeeded. That was pretty much the only reason it went ahead.
And I say thank goodness for the rules and regulations. In addition to those rules and regs is the need to protect indigenous rights. This dam appears to violate those rights and the video did address how the natives people will be compensated for this loss of territory they would normally use for their subsistence. Beyond that however, rules and regs are vital to protect the environment and to ensure the safety of workers among other issues. I too find this dam project to be problematic on many levels and unfortunately some of those concerns will probably never be adequately addressed.
@@michaeldeierhoi4096 All of these groups use their objections to hold the project at ransom and they all melt away as soon as payments to them match what they think they can get by objecting. They are nothing but useless moochers screaming loud enough to ensure they can live off of the productive efforts of others. Like about half of the rest of Canada and the US. This is just what liberals do. They have only that to contribute.
Why not build nuclear power plants? They're much smaller, give lots of power, are clean and require extraordinary amounts of idiocy to even possibly go wrong. Seriously, the amount of hubris and stupidity that happened at Chernobyl and to a lesser extent at Fukushima was unbelievable. Chernobyl had the recipe where they were unintentionally making an explosion happen. Fukushima had bad operators and still it's not nearly as bad as some make it to be. That's the entire list of actually bad nuclear power events. So build nuclear power plants. They're also very cheap once you get them up and running and new one's are far safer than old ones. What happened at Chernobyl could never happen again.
The biggest reason not to go nuclear is cost. There is a reason that only one new power nuclear power is being built in the US and that is because it is absurdly expensive. The 2 new power plants built for the Vogtle Nuclear power plant cost 31 billion $!! The supporters of nuclear power always seem to ignore that glaring point. All of that expense and elaborate technology just to boil water cleanly.
@@michaeldeierhoi4096 the USA didn't stop nuclear because of the cost, it did after the Three Mile accident, widely covered so the typical USian just knows about Chernobyl and Fukushima
That's not entirely true. It depends where in canada you are living. Hydro bill is often used for example in Quebec, where hydro power is the dominant power and heating.... In Ontario sometimes you'll hear hydro and sometimes electricity (because some of the main companies that are proncialy sponsored are hydro and have it in their name) but they have the option so an electric bill is common terminology there.
Generalizing Canadians? We is the 2nd biggest country and that means a 4000mile wall which we ain't paying for. That is the Northern border. We make our own stuff and grow our own weed. So, no I do not know Office John in Toronto and I never have the desire to visit the U.S.
@@bunzeebear2973 In addition to living in Ottawa and visiting many times to Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, I've traveled the length of Canada by train dipped my toe in English Bay, Vancouver, then in Peggy's Cove outside Halifax 5 time zones away, which is much more than most Canadians. I was in Ottawa at 9/11 and witnessed the deep affection most Canadians (except you) hold for their neighbors.
🤔Some of the Hydro produced in the provinces is exported to the U.S.(this is like a state secret) Also? Homeowners will probably install solar on their homes, and store energy. If you didn’t have the available electricity growth, EVs would be impossible.
@@ThereIsAlwaysaWay2 BC has solar options away from the coast, where the weather is better, and energy storage at off peak times is a viable option for homeowners. EVs are a viable choice, and internal combustion is definitely being superseded by better vehicles and technology. The whole picture can change drastically with the Cascadia subduction zone.
Don't need EV's in Canada. How do you clean the snow off solar panels? We need safe nuclear power around the world. Canada has had safe nuclear power for over 60 years.!!
@@richardpetker4337 EVs are here and a growing segment in the automotive market, the world over. There are contractions in the sale of ICE vehicles, meaning ICE manufacturers face bankruptcy if they don’t sell enough cars and trucks. That means consumers are done with ICE vehicles. ICE just can’t keep up.
@@richardpetker4337 This is BC nearly no snow, still even then, solar not reliable in BC, and tends to fade when you need it the most. This is a Club of Rome, Davos, Bildergerg agenda.
This is so weird at the beginning I thought you were talking about the other $6b dam that ballooned to $12b+ in muskrat falls in NL that’s taking far too long to build and had all the same issues you mentioned at the beginning. Didn’t know the same thing was happening in BC. I wonder how many of these actually come in near the initial budget?
It’s changed the river, the levels of the river fluctuate so much down stream now it’s insane, went boating on it this summer and the water level changed roughly 4 feet that day
What's your opinion? Do you support or oppose the Site C dam?✍🤔
Thanks a lot for watching!💛
I think Canadians need to smarten up. Terrible government leadership and now they are fighting over a dam when it’s obviously a smart way of energy
In my opinion the too best energy sources are dams and nuclear power plants so they should definitely continue building it
I agree with the Site-C project and other hydroelectric projects in the future. Much has been learned from past projects and the environmental damage caused, and new rules have been implemented to mitigate those damages as much as possible.
No. A lower power, run-of-the-river style hydroelectric project would be better.
talk about the qiddiya project in saudi arabia.
A mega project going over budget and taking longer than originally pitched? Never thought I'd live to see the day...
@Khanstant Especially a government funded project.
That's Canada for you. Over budgeting, red tape, political hoohaa to delay and drive up costs only to serve a 10th of what it should be for its price.
Covid was the major contributor to cost overruns. they were unavoidable.
@@checkfactschecking Did the concrete catch covid?
Construction Labour that are standing around and holding our government hostage for our hard earned money is destroying our country. We need regulations and caps on construction labour! It is out of hand and they are taking full advantage of our hard earned tax dollars.
I live in Ontario, and this is the first I've heard about this dam. Thanks for sharing this video and educating us on its merits.
Peak "centre of the universe" comment, lol
Ontarians never know what's happening out west, they just like taking our money via equalization payments.
Hey if you live in Ontario - you'd be interested to know - it's Ontario based companies building the dam.
@@markplain2555 Thank you, I had the impression it was BC Hydro.
@@markplain2555which ones specifically?
Fyi nobody cares you are from ontario despite what you all think there
I grew up in BC and now live in Alberta. My perspective is that the people saying Site C was not needed were completely focused on BC only. Fact is the grid is tied to -all- most of North America - I watch the Alberta Energy System Operators real time generation website regularly, as I write this, BC is importing 154-190 MW from Alberta, likely to cover AC usage - Alberta is primarily NG generation. With Site C online, BC may be exporting power instead, reducing carbon output. I can see the Alberta grid is sometimes used to "transport" BC power to Montana and Saskatchewan - we all need each other, especially during high demand periods like heat waves and cold snaps. I will give Horgan credit for someone finally getting him to understand this.
That's it exactly. We need a blended system of electricity generation and the more linked our provinces and the USA are the better it will be for everyone. When Wind and Solar are in high production, they can send power to BC and BC can save the water in the dams. And when solar and Wind is low in the prairies, BC can send power to them from it's network of dams. And the same with the prairies and Manitoba and its extensive hydro electric infrastructure.
Gas plants are prone to malfunction during extreme weather, both hot and cold. Both Texas and Alberta have experienced this, and were helped (some say rescued) by wind power in recent extreme events. As for domestic gas power in Alberta, several of my relatives and their friends have just recently made the choice to go with large rooftop solar arrays backed by home scale battery packs in their garages mainly due to the recent dramatic spikes in domestic gas fired power prices, which happen to occur right after the conservative Alberta government decided to act against free enterprise and apply moratoria and huge bundles of red tape on Alberta's phenomenal $40 billion renewable power industry. Of course, the timing was just coincidental, right, considering that a few years ago wind power market auctions were outcompeting gas and coal on price. The premier herself was a fossil industry employee and currently receives major political donations by her pals in gas.
@@ub59 "Gas plants are prone to malfunction during extreme weather, both hot and cold." False I live near them. "Both Texas and Alberta have experienced this, and were helped (some say rescued) by wind power in recent extreme events." Can't speak for Alberta but the Texas "extreme event" was just the opposite.
It's true. Natural gas plant outages helped lead to an almost-blackout during the alberta -45 C cold snap this winter. It was only averted thanks to an emergency government text message, saying to reduce usage. The more green backup power on the grid, the better, I say. I wish our premier wasn't sabotaging green power
@@ub59 Gotta love and support a premiere, who wants to break up Canada…oops…gain “sovereignty”. Where would she find all her “petro” buddies then, when she has to figure out the energy grid for landlocked, newly formed state, with a leader who swings her head in so many positions, I’m surprised she doesn’t get whiplash more often!
It’s not just our energy sector she’s blundered and halted growth since placing her butt in the premier chair…our entire Healthcare system is in TRIAGE mode…and she continues to alter, meddle, and change anything she wants - without getting SOUND scientific advice from Canadian experts! But…oh no…according to her Trump buddies pricey “advice”…and we know how well the healthcare system is working to care for its citizens south of the border! The US model is based on business/money first model. Naturally, a healthcare system requires financial input and responsible spending, and proper oversight. I would never trust the current provincial government and premier, following the costs and ongoing blunders she has made time and again…only to “apologize” for in another statement, before she makes her next, bigger blunder!
She is not trustworthy! Why put the most import thing in her hands…my life and those of ALL Canadians! Our lives are too precious and irreplaceable! Lives are not something you gamble! Life is mot some blunder or miscalculation that can be reversed or fixed and later apologize for. We are concerned with the quality of health and lives…NOT money…the only thing that grabs her attention!
I sure hope our Natural Resources are better protected than we have been, since the current government got in. I know the Indigenous peoples can certainly speak to the mismanagement of land, resources, etc. And sadly, they can speak to the irresponsible planning and mismanagement of this forrest fire season…Lord help us in the years ahead! The only good thing about this premier and government is that they can be voted out…and that is the cheerful note I will end on - LOL!😉
Cheers!🇨🇦
Demand for power is actually rising now for the first tine in decades. In 15-20 years they will be SO glad they built that dam. Should build more if possible
not just energy production. we need to start thinking of water. water will be important as we move forward into the next chapter of what happens.
Bingo.. And 15-20years ago when they talked about building this everyone was against Site C because the power wasn't needed at the time. Those people don't realize the power is now actually needed.
Even though it's clean energy, we have to be careful when we say "power demand is increasing". We need to consider the other side of the medal, like energy waste and overproduction. All the lights that stay on 24h/7, bad insulation, plants that overproduce 24/7, etc.
Free energy systems are available and by next year truly it will be available world wide!
@@Simboiss power demand is increasing, that is not even debatable. The desire to find more efficient end-use is always a good thing, but no matter how much you improve efficiency the DEMAND is ever increasing.
We found savings when we switched from incandescent to LED lights, but that savings didn't match the increase of demand. We won't be finding a magic efficiency button any time soon. Time to build more input .. BEFORE we have a problem with output.
As a trucker, I've been there many time. Proud of that.
Appreciate workers like you bud!
@jbakelaar Lol
I’m a hydroelectric millwright & it’s excellent green energy/ cost is initially high but payout is bigger
adding 60 million more population to canada , will pay for it
It is most indisputably NOT the most expensive hydro project built in Canada. That honor goes to the James Bay project in Quebec which, in today's dollars, would be anywhere from $20B to well over $30B depending on who you ask. There's also the Churchill Falls / Muskrat Falls generating system...which eventually cost close to $15B. Not that $12B is anything to sneeze at...but facts are facts.
The two most expensive energy projects in Canada are the TMX and the west coast gas pipelines.
Of note on both “projects” was the company that did the costing. AND held major contracts on both
SNC Lavalin
Gotta wonder how big they were in costing and construction of TMX
He's fibbing about a lot of stuff. Like why did he say treaty 8 is larger than France, but then say 10k hectares will be damaged? 10k hectars is 38 square miles. France is 213,011 square miles!
@@tarstarkusz Treaty No. 8, encompassing a landmass of approximately 840,000 kilometres, is home to 39 First Nations communities, including 23 Alberta First Nations, 3 Saskatchewan First Nations, 6 Northwestern Territories First Nations, and 8 British Columbia First Nations.
@@tarstarkusz The tributaries going into the Peace River probably cover a much wider area, than the reservoir limits, and the total area aught to be bigger than some countless in area. Gives you a sense of the colossal size of ecological impact.
I'm all for fighting climate change and keeping habitats as much as possible, but these organisations call for builds to be canceled and stopped but don't offer any solutions. If companies followed these organisations, millions of houses around the world wouldn't have electricity, many wouldn't have clean water etc.
What do you tell people like me that live right next door to this, don’t want it and get nothing in return for the destruction of the place I call home?
@@rickschlosser6793 I don't know your specific situation, but it would need to be factored in to the overall cost to provide you a fair compensation for your (and all your neighbours) losses. But it still seems it's not a "yes/no" but a" yes, but in this way" decision.
The Greater Good... but seriously, Sorry its happening in your back yard, but again sadly, has to happen somewhere or we don't have power. Hope it does as little damage as possible. Good luck to you.
@@richradka Living less than 10 kilometers away, I would think there would be some compensation.
My ‘ethnicity’ means I get no compensation. Only certain other ethnic groups qualify for compensation.
@@rickschlosser6793yes, move.
I currently work for BC Hydro, and the amount of power that we generate, use, and export to other provinces, the U.S., and Mexico is crazy. We not only need Site-C, but a multitude of others as well to fulfill the upcoming demand. Especially if the Government wants to go full electric.
Agreed... plus.. I live in BC, and I've seen the electricity rates elsewhere!!..
Have you seen the price of electricity in the UK?!?!?....
I love my cheap energy rates!.. Build baby build!!!
Are you sure because I have worked for the power company and we are usually over on the grid and shut down hydro because it’s just wear and tare on units. We don’t have the rivers or we can’t build major dams due to wildlife impact. If anything we are going to nuclear energy and when I worked there I was always on edge
@@Lewis2931 Yup. I sure am. Every work day (M-F) at 15:00 REV and MCA Dams bring an additional generator online until 23:00ish to help fulfill the load demand coming from mostly California, Oregon, Washington State, and of course the Vancouver metro area. That's when their peak demands are. (Kids getting out of school, and adults going home from work to turn on/up their AC, cook, flip on the TV, or computers to play video games) When that peak is fulfilled, those 2 generators go back offline. Weekends will see them coming back online as demand on the grid increases. And that is just with our current loads. Can you imagine how bad it's going to be when the amount of EVs has doubled or even tripled in market saturation? As long as there is a good river system, Hydro power will continue to be the 1st option because it's renewable, safer over-all, and cleaner than the others. Wind turbines are decent, but they just can't put out the stable supply, Solar arrays are only viable in regions of wide openness that can't really support agriculture.
work? bchydro? sure
We Are in Unchartered Financial Waters! every day we encounter challenges that have become the new standard. Although we previously perceived it as a crisis, we now acknowledge it as the new normal and must adapt accordingly. Given the current economic difficulties that the country is experiencing in 2024, how can we enhance our earnings during this period of adjustment? I cannot let my $680,000 savings vanish after putting in so much effort to accumulate them.
Keeping some gold is usually a wise decision. You would be better off keeping away from equities for a bit or, even better, seeking advice from an expert given the current market conditions and everything that is at risk with the current economy.
Could you possibly recommend a CFA you've consulted with?
Thank you for saving me hours of back and forth investigation into the markets. I simply copied and pasted her full name into my browser, and her website came up first in search results. She looks flawless.
I helped build that thing for 4 years.
Good times. Hard times. Lots of memories.
Hell yeah.
Must be neat knowing that sweat will be there for generations longer than you will live.
I loved working on big projects
@@TernesNickyou assume it will last that long. As it is last I heard the power house was under water and that was just 2 weeks ago
how do you build in cold weather? do they give you guys thermal jackets?
A much needed project. I hope to see the Peace River dammed downstream in the decades to come. Your point about 35% of the energy produced, with 5% of the impact of the Bennentt Dam is understated. That is a massive benefit. BC is blessed with a natural resource that can be exported to it's neighbours to the South and East. The greenwashing argument it truly frustrating. The world uses energy. If you want to decarbonize, projects like this are essential.
You HOPE for a dam? Wtf?! Why on earth would any sane person do that? The damage they do is astronomical. As is nuclear. People need to grow up and start limiting themselves.
Someone with common sense I see, solar is not going to work here. And wind.... YUK
@@TedTednessSolar is great at the individual household level.
@@TedTedness I agree with the fellow above but solar and wind can be used to supplement but it's not nearly as reliable and stable as hydro. They work well together
While I agree that the Hydro power is good, we probably won't be building more dams here is BC in the foreseeable future. Really, we should be turning our eyes towards nuclear power generation.
I live within an hourish of Bennet dam (largest reservoir/lake in BC), Peace Canyon Dam, and now site C coming online in next couple months. I've lived a very affordable energy life due to the dams my forefathers have given us, and my children will also, due to growth in renewable energy. Politics, COVID and inflation have made this project costly, but it doesn't matter. It's overall still an affordable gift of cheap power for generations. Look at other provinces, and compare the cost of power. Which provinces have enough, and which need more for their citizens and corporations? BC is looking after its energy needs for its people and economy, affordably. Affordable energy is how civilizations prosper. Look across the globe, and you'll see. On the subject of flooding the peace river and effected land by doing so, I wish all online complainers could have driven the old highway and seen it for themselves. The south river side is mostly a tall river bank, and completely uninhabited. The North side is a tea cup of the globe's ocean, in relation to land taken. A mostly narrow river bank(s) being flooded. Now we have a new lake to enjoy, to go along with Williston and Dinosaur.
Well said.
I've lived in Fort St. John (the closest community to Site C) for about a decade - I've also worked on both the Site C project and the CGL pipeline project. Thanks for putting this video together, you did a great job!
One error in your explanation. The head gate is not used to control water flow it is used to shut off water flow to isolate the turbine for repairs if nessary.
The water flow control if accomplished by the wicket gates that surround the turbine and are controlled by the turbine's governor.
The dam is a much needed project for an increasing population and it will generate a lot of wealth.
On another note:--
Start calling it PACIFIC COLUMBIA as it is more appropriate.
Britain invaded many countries during its 300 years of its greedy empire and killed more people during that time than were killed during WWII.
Its a fact.
Spread the word. - Pacific Columbia.
If they are going to process the gas anyway, the hydro will improve the overall footprint... I support it...
Yah. Seems like the easiest thing to do would be to tap some of that gas for the energy needed to cool it. Going against that easy path and using hydropower instead is a positive in my mind.
Dam, that's a big dam
😂😂😂😂
Ba Dum Ptss
Globally that’s the smallest dam built in over two decades. Smallest by far
That would be “damn”.
You could build 1.4 Gigawatts for half that using nuclear.
Then we sell our Hydro to the US 8 times cheaper than what we pay here in Canada, just like all the eastern dams.
Then the US companies go bankrupt. Free power for them😮
Nobody talks about this.
We do the same with our lumber, and then buy it back for a huge markup after it has been processed (despite having our own facilities).
@@Tight_Conduct Meanwhile here in the USA all of our lumber industry has been shut down to support the caanadian monopoly because of some stoopid spotted owl... and instead the govt burns the lumber releasing more carbon than any coal mine ever did. I'm sure the owls love them fires... And then they use the smoke from the fires as excuse to shut down clean burning coal energy plants. Treason abounds.
But why? 😢
@@pearls1626 Nafta is a part of it
As someone who was born in BC and currently still lives there the Site C damn was a very important addition to our electrical infrastructure....oh and I'm also an Electrician which helps understand the complexities that other renewable energy can't deliver in any sort of comparable way in regard to similar levels of power. Yes wind and solar play a role but it's intermittent and only reliable as an addition to a stable source like hydro. Oh, and this dam has been planned since the 70s and it should have been built long before now. Looking forward to seeing it up and running and may do a tour next time I'm out that way. The Revelstoke Dam tour is pretty interesting if anyone wants to learn more about how hydro electricity is generated and wants to see it first hand.
I worked here for 3 years as a carpenter in almost all sections of the dam. It was a great experience 🎉
If you want to live a "modern" life (including indigenous people) you need electricity, Canada is a cold and clowdy place in the winter, most renewables don't work in Canada but there is a lot of water so this is a reasonable alternative!!
search wikipedia for cost of electricity and it will tell you that gas fired, wind and geothermal are equally the lowest cost per kwh production. and while Canada may be clowny it is definitely not 'clowdy'
Exactly.
Limited ecological damage and hydro power is the best you can get with consistency
@@ZoomZoomMX3”Limited Ecological damage” is completely false. Nuclear energy is much more better alternative to hydro electric power. Dams can completely destroy a local ecosystem. Here I’ll give you an example from my speciality of frogs. The California Red-legged frog populations were steadily declining because of the fact that dams would destroy their offspring and mating habitats when the dams would release water. Dams might work for now however when we lose species because of dams, then you’ll finally learn.
Offshore wind is an option, especially when you consider BC being right next to the ocean.
You are missing 1 important factor in Canada's power generation: 80% of the power generated in Canada is sold to the US grid for less per watt to the consumer than the bulk corporate rate the lowest Canadian consumer pays. ( the American home-owner's power bill is less than the cheapest power rate in Canada and most Canadian power is sold to the Americans screwing over the Canadians. )
Great MegaBuilds video, well worth watching 👍
0:31 That has to be the most polite protest sign ever. Canadians living up to their stereotype, fantastic
We used to be known for our renowned technology, education, Universities and so much more, now we are at third world stats. What a shame to loose our # 1 status thanks to the politicians of the last 11 elections.
@@deborahsacco186 - Mass migrations has brought ghettoization and violence in our peaceful cities . Canada has returned to religious ghettos and local culture bashing . I despise my nation in 2024 .
This is a chimera in 2024 . Khanada, islamized spelling, is a violent and viciously diverse tapestry of non-homogeneity . Migrants have not and never have been allowed to become Canadians . We locals were/are imposed a multitude of cultures that for many are simply barbaric and gross . Stop propagating the Canadian of 1960's 70's and even 80's ... Idea . It does not exist anymore .
@@deborahsacco186your greatest tech company is shopify your greatest talent is the resources you possess with low population nothing more
This is an excellent project which also increases BC's ability to make solar production more feasible through energy storage.
Energy storage will still cost more than is worth it with the technology that we have especially in northern areas that experience cold weather, how long does your car battery last? Batteries can be recycled yes but it costs energy to do it just like keeping them in a heated environment which yes will increase their life. Dams are perfect like natural gas because you can control the output based on demand whereas like what was said in the video wind and Solar you have no control over and cost more than the return. Wind and solar are for entertainment purposes only and are not feasible options to phase out O&G
@@Dannyboy5885 Energy storage is the water reservoir... that you use when solar is not enough.
Did not know about this dam until I saw this video, appreciate the information! :)
It was a much needed project. Onwards and upwards.
Horgan was right not to scrap it. Best source of electricity.
@@thebigpicture2032when he was in opposition he wanted to scrap it. Then he came to power and was there for a photo op 😂
@@aaykay4060 A much needed project for an increasing population and it will generate a lot of wealth.
On another note:--
Start calling it PACIFIC COLUMBIA as it is more appropriate.
Britain invaded many countries during its 300 years of its greedy empire and killed more people during that time than were killed during WWII.
Its a fact.
Spread the word. - Pacific Columbia.
The Peace River Partneship group of companies that is the main contractor of this project has the distinct honor of receiving the largest fine, twice by Worksafe B.C..
The response from the partnership was basically... "So, whatever, it's public money that will pay the fines."
Same thing when they got fines for knocking down eagle nests.
You can’t have cheap electricity with no trade off
Yeah we can: nuclear. High production of reliable baseload power in a minimum of space using fuel that can be mined domestically. No CO2 output either if you think that matters.
@@SanchoPanza-wg5xf Yea I'll pass on paying for that.
@@patrickr2601 Thank you for responding that you are against nuclear power.
Which of the following alternatives do you find least objectionable?
1. Flooding thousands of hectares of land to power hydroelectric dams.
2. Exploiting slave labour and fossil-fuel-powered mining operations to extract cobalt in Africa for the purpose of building electric batteries for EVs.
3. The mass slaughter of bird and whale species with wind turbines that do not produce electricity when the wind stops blowing, thus necessitating a parallel baseload power grid.
4. Covering vast expanses of arid farmland with solar panel that do not produce electricity when the sun is obstructed, thus necessitating a parallel baseload power grid.
5. The burning of oil/coal/natural gas in conventional power plants to supply the electrical grid with necessary baseload when the wind ain't blowing and the sun ain't shining?
at 12 Billion - it's not cheap
Solar would be 50% cheaper.
Thanks for making this video! I'm applying to work at BC Hydro and this was an excellent overview of the Site C Dam project. I particularly liked how you delved into the controversies of the project. You've earned a new subscriber :)
Fascinating my daily news don't even talk about that thank you for bringing this news of my country to my attention
The article mistates the treaty obligation. If the treaty was as stated the entire aera of the treaty would be limited to the use of indigenous hunting and fishing. Instead the treaty allows for the right for indigenous people to contimue using it for hunting and fishing but does not define it as for the exclusive use of indigenous peoples for that purpose. That said consulting with the people who live in the area is only reasonable..
thanks for the clarification. I was like "an area bigger than France, in Canada, is forever the domain of a small group of people" seems like another illogical plan if those who live in Canada are to remain living in and sharing Canada for the benefit of everyone.
I work in the Canadian hydro business and trust me Muskrat Fall is way worse of a project
I also work in the powerline industry - what can you tell me about Muskrat Falls?
Kit-eye-mat. That made me laugh
Kitta matte
As a local i dont think Iev nerver heard it be pronounced like that
@megabuildsYT
15:12 - It's pronounced more like "Kit-ah-mat"
@@wantedasriel1310no one ever knows how to pronounce our Indigenous place names, even when they’re anglicized 😂
I live in Esquimalt, which used to be considered Victoria as far as addresses go, but now every time someone not local is reading my address out they butcher it 😂
I worked at LNG Canada Kitimat, it’s a rumour right now that Site C will power the LNG plant. LNGC wants to get both trains running first, then start phase 2 for trains 3 and 4 before they shut down Train 1 for converting it to electrically powered, then move down the line to the following trains. It’s smart and itll boost Canada’s economy a lot.
There are multiple reasons why the dam shouldn't be built.
A - the farmland on the north bank. As someone else mentioned prior in a different comment, the South bank mostly a straight face, no where to really farm it. There is a few locations, but no more than probably 500 farmable acres on the south side. Of which, besides a recently installed pipeline that runs from 120km's north south to the Plant that is the start of the CGL pipeline (it's not in Dawson creek, but about 40 km west) there is no access to this land. The north side has a bunch more, but for the most part the flooded sections were tree covered. Now the sections that weren't tree covered were reportedly the "best farmland outside of the Fraser valley" and was considered "the future breadbasket of the North". Couple problems with this though. The vast majority of the crop pulled from this section of the peace valley has been hay, or some form of grain. The same crops pulled from up on top. One farmer did try and do potatoes the one year, it was a major bust as there is no place for potatoes to get processed. He did local selling, majority of it was turned into fertilizer the next spring. So farmland wise, meh. Not that bad, not that big of an issue.
B - Soil stability. Site C has been planned since the 70's. Not a single engineer until 2014 would sign off on the project due to the fact that the entire peace valley is formed from shale. There is no solid ground. I heard a rumor that the engineer who did eventually sign off on it, was from china. Not sure if true, but honestly wouldn't be surprised. Have seen a number of Chinese companies poking around south of there trying their hands at coal mining, only to realize there is hardly a profit doing so right now. Hell the main mine in Tumbler is only just being turned back on after like 15 years of low idle to 0 productivity. Back to the stability, there has been a number of slides over the years in the peace river. One almost closed it off about 40-50 years ago. So I would consider that a valid concern.
C - Local facility usage. The construction of site C has brought a few people to town. I believe numbers hovered around 2400 a month working on the structure at any given time. Local concern was the construction of assets that would be used during the construction phase of site C, but during operations due to the lack in need for people, would be shut down. This also covered housing, as a number of houses in town were built in anticipation of this, which is great. Except it forced the housing market up. Since the project has since completed and the majority have since left or are leaving (they started filling at the beginning of the month), housing has started coming back down somewhat.
D - Environmental concerns. There was a large wetlands that is now about 5 feet underwater at current, and there was a large number of animals that roamed the north bank. I personally have hunted elk on the northern bank. There was a large deposit of Mercury rock(?) that had to be mined and dug out of an island in the middle of the river, I personally don't know if they got it all. All I know is that they had excavators and scrapers digging 50 km up river in the center of the river for about a year and a half. You can still see the road to it on google maps. It's just past the Ferrell Creek road going west. That getting into the water, would be catastrophic. But, apparently they got it all. There was also concerns about trees being left behind a popping up like rockets as they did in WAC Bennett for years. I feel that the reserve was logged sufficiently. Driving past it last week, most the remaining foliage was young willow growth.
E - First Nation Rights. Due to the treaties, the first nations have a lot of land that is being affected by this. Now someone else mentioned that treaty 8 covers 800,000 km and this is only going to flood like 10,000. That there is 34 FN along the river. While true, the dam only affects 5 bands. Blueberry, Profit River, Halfway, Doig River, Moberly, Saulteau. There might be some others claiming being affected, but these are the ones in the local area. They lose land, ancestral burial sites, hunting grounds, and they kick up a fuss. Which we really don't need more of.
F - Cost. Original total cost was 6 billion when construction started. At current, with it filling it sits at 16 billion. The blow back on this is an increase in the price of hydro in BC. Incase you didn't know, BC Hydro is a state run organization. It is also, the only hydro outfit in BC. As such the pricing is dictated by the state. Hydro prices have jumped up a fair bit, which everyone kinda saw coming. There is also the fact the hydro isn't staying local, its going south. As in across the BC/Washington State border. As in to California. And frankly, people up here are tired of being scalped and having our resources shipped south then sold back to us at a higher price. Except in this case, its going south for nickels on the dollar thanks to NAFTA. So ya. The turn around on the price tag to seeing it making a profit, is going to be significantly longer than the LNG project he glossed over in the video.
i was a foreman on this project and it was alot more than 12 billion. you had so many inexperienced workers, and well most of the management was incompetent, and had no experience in construction, and to boot you would have anywhere from 15-45 engineers on shift, that basically had no business being engineers. this all equates to alot of mistakes and costly ones, im not allowed to say but some major problems occurred in the spillway where they had to add 100+ more piles. because of poor engineering which cost ALOT i won't even give you figures
why won't you tell us the figures? because you are full of poop
Why is it called Site C?
@@AskAlice112 Several dam locations were proposed a few decades back. This location was named 'C'.
exactly, those "workers" were hired to bulk up their quote to GOUGE more of our hard earned tax dollars from our govenment!
@@AskAlice112 oh they will rename it after some politician down the road , probably.
Your title is wrong.
Overruns had increased the cost of this dam to 18 billion dollars in 2021. The last reported estimate was at 24 billion dollars.
At the end it will cost 5403 billion... 80% of the money in offshore bank accounts.
Jesus, could have just given everyone in the province free power for life instead
He also has it at 12B USD, which is 16 ish Billion CAD. But yes it’ll be way more than those numbers. I’ve been on this project for almost 3 years.
24 billion $ for just 1100 MW? That's absolutely crazy. LG-2, which was put into service in 1979, had a cost of $3.85 billion --> between 16 and 17 billion in today's money. Its installed power is 5 616 MW and it produces over 40 TWh per yeah. Add LG-2-A to that for a total cost of ~$21 billion in today's money and 7722 MW installed power in total. Someone's getting screwed somewhere :)
@@gustru2078 Did I miss something? Where did you get the 1100MW number from?
Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.
This is my life 😮
I like 15 minutes from this. Cool video !
Thanks for your research, well done script and narration. Many of us appreciate your work.
I am from Vancouver, and am very interested in this content.❤
The dam is a much needed project for an increasing population and it will generate a lot of wealth.
On another note:--
Start calling it PACIFIC COLUMBIA as it is more appropriate.
Britain invaded many countries during its 300 years of its greedy empire and killed more people during that time than were killed during WWII.
Its a fact.
Spread the word. - Pacific Columbia.
Like all dams it has only one turbine hall whereas in Australia in 2016 a proof-of-concept test was run for dams to have up to three turbine halls . The test ran by RDP Marine in NSW and overcame the standing reasons given for it being a nonstarter
What does the number of turbine halls have to do with the number of turbines? Genuine question, because I’m unclear what your point is.
@@aaykay4060 hi ok so the main hall is placed to use hi pressure water and for each dam that is the limiting factor of usable water available . But my system can be added to dams thus multipal halls or if it ever
@@aaykay4060 what I am on about is retro fitting more turbines to dams to make more power from the same volume of water currently used thus extra turbine's will be needed and so extra turbine hall made to house them
interesting concept, id like to see the study papers... how do they overcome the pressure drop issue?
@@michaelransom5841 the back pressure is unaffected so the issues of turbine surging are also non starters
The valley to be filled with water is a very rare, east west valley (so a great deal of sunlight) of prime farm land.
When the unfolding climate catastrophe creates global and local food shortages, the farmland will be needed to produce much needed food. In British Columbia, Canada the project is known to environmentalists as the "dam" site C project.
If all the methane extracted gets burned there's zero net reduction in carbon as compared to building a natural gas power plant instead. And then add the impact of importing groceries from California forever... It's only green if you engage in logical fallacies. It's only economically viable if you're on the side of the fence getting a paycheque. Screw everyone else in the province for 24k per household.
Hey, I'm all for doing something about climate change, but this argument might not be the best one to lean on.
While it's true that the Site C dam will flood a fertile east-west valley, it's important to consider the broader context of climate change and its impacts on agriculture in Canada and why this argument against the damn is a bit self defeating.
Should the "unfolding climate catastrophe" warm our climate enough to lead to the food shortages predicted, this does not actually apply to Canada. In fact, Canada is expected to experience a significant increase in arable land due to longer growing seasons and the northward shift of temperate zones. This expansion of cultivable land will absolutely dwarf the relatively small amount of farmland lost due to the construction of the Site C dam.
Studies suggest that Canada would see a net gain in agricultural capacity, potentially becoming a key global player in food production as traditional farming regions in other parts of the world face increased challenges from climate change. The loss of farmland from Site C, while not insignificant, must be weighed against this much larger trend of increasing agricultural potential across the country.
Furthermore, the Site C dam will provide a reliable and renewable source of energy, helping to meet the province's future energy needs sustainably, which is also critical in the context of climate change.
Balancing these factors is crucial for making informed decisions about our future food and energy security.
But anyway.. didn't mean to make that comment so long, but i hope you can see the issue with the objection.. It's predicated on an inaccurate assertion of the outcomes of climate change, at least for Canada.
Wrote a paper about Site C (I live in BC), with the push for EV's and heat pumps legislation surrounding their use it only makes this project more and more vital to a greener future.
@@morbital Maybe you studied how power dams affect the environment in a negative way? David Suzuki did some sort of report on it and it was not a very glowing review.
@@schrempskynate8944 You think I wrote a university paper and didn't consider the negative consequences of a project? That's a great way to receive a failing grade... That's why my paper weighed the pros and cons of alternative energy sources and even just straight cuts in energy use. Hydroelectric remains the best option for energy in BC with the least amount of negative impacts.
@morbital I thought you were a kid who did a paper in high school. Carry on.
BC is the only province in Canada that can reliably use hydro power. Every other province NEEDS oil and gas.
@@schrempskynate8944 it ether hydro or nuclear and both are better then coal as well as nuclear is less radioactive then coal dust
I worked at site for a good 8 months on the commercial side of the building. The turbines are directly next to the commercial, and they're absolutely MASSIVE
I have 2 friends going to work there Monday. Great project idea
"I'm your dam tour guide, Arnie. Now I'm about to take you through a fully functional power plant, so please, no one wander off the dam tour..."
I agree with their decision to finish the dam.
girl, are you generating clean energy, cuz daam
I was just at the Bridge River site. Bridge River 1 has been around almost 100 years. Construction started before the depression, but that and WW2 delayed completion until 1946. I'm not sure if the turbines have been upgraded, but in any case, nearly 100 years of emissions free service says something about Hydro-Electric Power. Bridge River 2 is now making power and hopefully will run for 100 years while Bridge River 1 approaches 200 years.
That's my back yard! Most people in the north peace river district didn't want site C!! The lower mainland decided we needed it!
I own property in FSJ and man was i piiisssed!!!! about this project.
@@reneethibeault5129 same here and do believe that most of our city didn't want that dam and it's a shame we really have no say what goes on in our back yard ☹
@@reneethibeault5129 out of curiosity, why where you pissed about it?
so, there is a number of arguments. Some good some bad.
A - the farmland on the north bank. As someone else mentioned prior in a different comment, the South bank mostly a straight face, no where to really farm it. There is a few locations, but no more than probably 500 farmable acres on the south side. Of which, besides a recently installed pipeline that runs from 120km's north south to the Plant that is the start of the CGL pipeline (it's not in Dawson creek, but about 40 km west) there is no access to this land. The north side has a bunch more, but for the most part the flooded sections were tree covered. Now the sections that weren't tree covered were reportedly the "best farmland outside of the Fraser valley" and was considered "the future breadbasket of the North". Couple problems with this though. The vast majority of the crop pulled from this section of the peace valley has been hay, or some form of grain. The same crops pulled from up on top. One farmer did try and do potatoes the one year, it was a major bust as there is no place for potatoes to get processed. He did local selling, majority of it was turned into fertilizer the next spring. So farmland wise, meh. Not that bad, not that big of an issue.
B - Soil stability. Site C has been planned since the 70's. Not a single engineer until 2014 would sign off on the project due to the fact that the entire peace valley is formed from shale. There is no solid ground. I heard a rumor that the engineer who did eventually sign off on it, was from china. Not sure if true, but honestly wouldn't be surprised. Have seen a number of Chinese companies poking around south of there trying their hands at coal mining, only to realize there is hardly a profit doing so right now. Hell the main mine in Tumbler is only just being turned back on after like 15 years of low idle to 0 productivity. Back to the stability, there has been a number of slides over the years in the peace river. One almost closed it off about 40-50 years ago. So I would consider that a valid concern.
C - Local facility usage. The construction of site C has brought a few people to town. I believe numbers hovered around 2400 a month working on the structure at any given time. Local concern was the construction of assets that would be used during the construction phase of site C, but during operations due to the lack in need for people, would be shut down. This also covered housing, as a number of houses in town were built in anticipation of this, which is great. Except it forced the housing market up. Since the project has since completed and the majority have since left or are leaving (they started filling at the beginning of the month), housing has started coming back down somewhat.
D - Environmental concerns. There was a large wetlands that is now about 5 feet underwater at current, and there was a large number of animals that roamed the north bank. I personally have hunted elk on the northern bank. There was a large deposit of Mercury rock(?) that had to be mined and dug out of an island in the middle of the river, I personally don't know if they got it all. All I know is that they had excavators and scrapers digging 50 km up river in the center of the river for about a year and a half. You can still see the road to it on google maps. It's just past the Ferrell Creek road going west. That getting into the water, would be catastrophic. But, apparently they got it all. There was also concerns about trees being left behind a popping up like rockets as they did in WAC Bennett for years. I feel that the reserve was logged sufficiently. Driving past it last week, most the remaining foliage was young willow growth.
E - First Nation Rights. Due to the treaties, the first nations have a lot of land that is being affected by this. Now someone else mentioned that treaty 8 covers 800,000 km and this is only going to flood like 10,000. That there is 34 FN along the river. While true, the dam only affects 5 bands. Blueberry, Profit River, Halfway, Doig River, Moberly, Saulteau. There might be some others claiming being affected, but these are the ones in the local area. They lose land, ancestral burial sites, hunting grounds, and they kick up a fuss. Which we really don't need more of.
F - Cost. Original total cost was 6 billion when construction started. At current, with it filling it sits at 16 billion. The blow back on this is an increase in the price of hydro in BC. Incase you didn't know, BC Hydro is a state run organization. It is also, the only hydro outfit in BC. As such the pricing is dictated by the state. Hydro prices have jumped up a fair bit, which everyone kinda saw coming. There is also the fact the hydro isn't staying local, its going south. As in across the BC/Washington State border. As in to California. And frankly, people up here are tired of being scalped and having our resources shipped south then sold back to us at a higher price. Except in this case, its going south for nickels on the dollar thanks to NAFTA. So ya. The turn around on the price tag to seeing it making a profit, is going to be significantly longer than the LNG project he glossed over in the video.
I'm sure that Renee or Troy could add more, but ya. This is some of the concerns.
@@gareth3035 ok but most of what you just typed out is the reasons why most of us didn't want that dam dam lol
Again I’ll say. Nuclear power is clean and safe and essentially free once it’s up and running.
You know what else is free? Radiation. Cancer. Etc. free.
Nuclear power is reliable and fairly safe but if you are unfortunate to have an accident like Chernobyl it will take generations to recover and the cost would be terrible.
5:34 He should have taken that large book with orange Letters off the shelf it looks like a centrepiece of his library. 😂
good eye
I think it’s important to point out that, north west of the site C damn, is a giant golden triangle. Super rich in minerals and precious gems. With the electricity produced in site C they can extract and develop more mines.
I have worked on the dam. It was quite the thing to witness the progress from 2015 til now.
Even using it to LNG processing, it's a way to stabilise the solar/wind generation during the day, so the solar surplus could be used for the LNG plant during the day, while the hydro catches up at night.
The LNG project would be probably paying for the whole dam and another GWs of tax credits for solar
It would have been efficient to build a hydro line corridor along the Costal Gas Link corridor. Is the LNG Canada site planning on using site C electricity?
It is amazing how people are always against some mega project then when it produces you could not get the people to not want it. Imagine trying to build the Hoover Dam in Nevada today. It would never happen.
it's especially prevalent in our rights > responsibilities culture
I live in BC and have been hearing about this project for many many years. Ultimately I think building the dam is better than not building it, even though there are many issues. In the long term hydro power is a power source that every country on earth would love to have access to, we would be fools to not take advantage. As for who ultimately profits from this that is another messy issue. But having clean electricity is better than not having it in the decades to come.
It’s a bit late for not building it. Reservoir inundation begins next week 😅.
A much needed project for an increasing population and it will generate a lot of wealth.
On another note:--
Start calling it PACIFIC COLUMBIA as it is more appropriate.
Britain invaded many countries during its 300 years of its greedy empire and killed more people during that time than were killed during WWII.
Its a fact.
Spread the word. - Pacific Columbia.
Glad you explained how hydroelectric works.
I’m from Prince George originally and used to log for years in my younger days around Williston Lake. It’s beautiful country.
I emailed the NDP incessantly about the need to complete the Site C dam and I'm very glad they actually changed course and continued the project to completion. BC Hydro imported millions of dollars worth of power last year, and was debating whether to increase power to all users across the province as a result. With the Dam complete the issue will be mitigated for quite some time to come, and unless the government decides to invest heavily in nuclear power, we just don't have the climate here for large solar and wind installations so hydro is our best bet for relatively green energy, even if that comes at some insanely slight environmental cost.
The problem with nuclear is when you make a nuclear power plant, you really need to make 4 of em, so you can have one of em shut down and have 3 running while the other is being shut down so that it can be refueled. It's also really hard to make a small nuclear power plant and still have it produce electricity at a low price. Canada just doesn't have enough people out west to justify that.
@@theredscourge There's lots of promising new technology out there that could change that. But yes, the current CANDU reactors would be impracticable in BC.
Agreed. BC may still decide to import power when their neighbours have an abundance of cheap power they need to offload as it needs to go somewhere.
Hydro, along with any physically rotating generation source is enormously beneficial to the frequency stability of the grid. This is a major problem with solar and inverter based wind. California is already massively struggling with this because they have too much PV and not enough physically rotating generation sources.
14:14 they are hiring "ONE" conservation officer to look after the wild life! 😂 As my favorite villain, The Joker, says "Y'know they're schemers. Schemers trying to control their little worlds. I'm not schemer. I try to show the schemers how pathetic their attempts to control things really are!!"
Yeah, that was quite laughable indeed.
Great video! Very comprehensive.
Compelling viewing!Thank you!
I live in BC along the Columbia River, one of the most dammed rivers in the world. My father ran an electrical consultancy specializing in power generation and distribution. He spoke often of the practicalities surrounding that.
As his son, I understand we need power but my thoughts often wander to what is lost when reservoirs are filled. This video glosses over that.
When the Hugh Keenleyside Dam was finished in 1968, we lost the 4th largest bread basket in the Province of BC. The ability to grow grains, livestock, fruit and vegetables with capacity exceeding the Creston area and on par with the Okanagan Valley. Gone. Wildlife are forever affected as well. With their habitat and migratory routes gone, they suffer and in many cases, disappear as the salmon and many wetland species have done.
These impacts are significant. We don't have lakes. We have reservoirs called lakes. The water level fluctuates dramatically and as the water level drops, the shoreline turns into a barren landscape, prone to dust storms. You don't see many boats parked at docks because docks are difficult to maintain as is the access to them. The beaches, once plentiful, are now few and far between.
So the word "renewable" has to be taken in context, as does the design meant to withstand a 10,000 year earthquake. The reservoirs will likely be filled with sediment by then so if the dams do blow, it'll be a wall of mud with a bit of water. And very little electricity being produced just prior to that. Humans - 0. Planet - 1. The planet always wins in the end.
Just a reminder that the WEF Agenda has been at their program for over 100 years and have buried all GOOD info that we all need to know. As an example there is no water shortage anywhere. It is just deeper than they have told us but the pristine huge reserves are enough to look after the entire world continuously, as the actions of Volcanism creates pure water and OIL. Oil is NOT a fossil fuel. period. Texas oil fields are refueling themselves and they are just capping them to pretend it's not happening. (Trump and Bidenomics going on behind everyone's back). Same in Canada notice all the meters on your water ...what a sham! All to create a mass illusion of shortages.
I'm for the advancement of people, even over wildlife. Beavers are found all over the planet so one dam in bc isn't going to disrupt the big overall picture much if at all, for any species. Human flourishing must come first.
@@howebrad4601 It can all be done in coordinated harmony that considers all life as precious. Sacrifice the pawns and ask questions later? That model is outdated.
@@howebrad4601 A typical response from someone who reaps all the benefits of hydroelectric power with few if any immediate repercussions. Humans need to eat. If we flood much of our best farmland for hydroelectric power, what will the people eat? May not seem like an issue now but wait until our population doubles or triples and places like California and Mexico are crispy dry with depleted aquifers.
Your response demonstrates a lack of appreciation or understanding the complexity and interconnectedness between all living creatures and ecosystems. We don't exist in a vacuum. Then consider that 90% of all creatures who have ever lived on this earth are extinct and ask yourself how long it will be until this happens to humans. Whether we caused it or not, the planet is heating up and soon enough, we'll be crispy critters too. May take hundreds of generations but it's coming. Then it will be cockroaches, wasps and ants that rule the world. We'll reach a point where we don't have enough power to run all our air conditioners, regardless of how many rivers we dam.
Beavers don't dam entire large river systems. Humans to that. Beavers dam small creeks and create wetlands that hold water and support a plethora of other animals, creating habitat instead of destroying it as humans do. So your comparison demonstrates once more how little you understand about wildlife and ecosystems.
@@jimross898 well also consider the grand scheme of things. You say it floods precious farm land, likely true, but you should take into consideration if all that lane was actually farmable land. Also consider the lands outside of your specific little area. BC is huge, what we have is land.
Although its important to do proper environmental assessments and make judgements to make sure we aren't being dumb, we also need to consider OUR impact and the needs.
RE: LNG. I'd love it if wind/solar/tidal/nuclear power was a viable solution to every country on this planet right now. We don't live in that world. Norway is one of the leading renewable-powered countries on this planet, but they still get rich from exporting natural gas and oil. Canada should do the same.
We are much closer to that world than we might think, and if we don't push for it, then that future might not happen in time. The next 10- to 20-years are critical to avoid the worst effects of climate change. Natural gas is 99.9% methane. Infrastructure for processing this gas is particularly bad for the environment. Methane has 80X the greenhouse potential as CO2 and its very light gaseous nature makes methane leak through the smallest holes and crevices (fugitive emissions). The use of "natural" in the gas's name is a smart marketing ploy.
Canada's 39.7M population is small which can help with the transition. Canada's population is less than California's 41.74M. Shanghai metro has almost 30M people alone and that's just *one* of China's several 20+M cities. Canada is almost a ghost town in comparison with a lot of land and shoreline. That land and shore helps with renewables and many other forms energy generation like hydro and nuclear.
Canada's grid is already 81% *non-fossil* fueled powered. B.C. leads with 95.5% of its 64.3TWh grid powered by non-fossil fuels. Unfortunately, next door Alberta lags and pulls down Canada's numbers with 90% of its 76.1TWh grid powered by fossil fuels. :-(
In a broader context, much less than 1% of the world's land surface in just current generation photovoltaics can power all the world's grids. There is enough offshore wind to power the world several times over. The USA can actually power its entire 4200TWh annual grid with just ~0.7% of its 3.1-million square mile land surface in photovoltaics. This doesn't even include any wind power which the US has a large amount of already. The US grid is approaching if not past 50% non-fossil fuels with the latest growth mostly from renewables. Worldwide in 2022, 80% of all new energy additions were from renewables.
Critically, renewables (especially solar) are now at historical low costs per MWh generation and still continues to drive ever lower! If the world transitions away from fossil fuels before Canada does, the price of fossil fuels may reach such a low level that it will cost more money for Canada to produce natural gas than it does to sell it. A transition like these don't happen linearly, but an exponential S-curve starting slowly but accelerating very quickly through to maturity when the transition completes and levels off again.
@@beyondfossil All good points, thanks for that. A smart informative comment on YT? Hang on let me spin a top, got to make sure I'm not dreaming LOL
Sadly I don't have much confidence that our greedy short-sighted species can avoid the worst effects of climate change. Even if we magically became carbon-neutral today, the northern permafrost is not going to stop melting. There's *gigatons* of methane sequestered in that ice. I see this mess getting a lot worse before it gets better. I hope I'm wrong.
Well doom & gloom aside, switching to renewables & nuclear just plain makes sense. Fossil fuels are a finite resource. But look what happened to Germany. They made the incredibly stupid short-sighted decision to decommission their nuclear industry. When the Russian War started, they were literally left out in the cold, had to increase their reliance on fossil fuels including "natural" gas.
I'm all for the renewable energy future, but we have to work with the world we have today. Maybe Canada investing in LNG ends up being an exercise in chasing phantoms. Or maybe Norway thumbs their noses at us for missing out on this opportunity. Everything's a trade-off, everything's a risk.
Why do you block your face/mouth with your microphone? If i were you, id lower it down a lot. It should still pick up you voice perfectly.
As a BC resident this was a really well done video.
Glad to see that the comment section is filled with mostly well educated responses.
Your content seems to attract the more rational minds among us.
we need more dams in Canada. It is such an obvious solution to energy needs
A much needed project for an increasing population and it will generate a lot of wealth.
On another note:--
Start calling it PACIFIC COLUMBIA as it is more appropriate.
Britain invaded many countries during its 300 years of its greedy empire and killed more people during that time than were killed during WWII.
Its a fact.
Spread the word. - Pacific Columbia.
Every time you make a dam, you flood a lot of land. It's hard to justify flooding out a huge amount of land in order to avoid climate change, as you are eradicating whole ecosystems.
Indigenous people:
"Dam it"
The highest biweekly paychecks in Canada are those from the electric companies.
A much needed project for an increasing population and it will generate a lot of wealth.
On another note:--
Start calling it PACIFIC COLUMBIA as it is more appropriate.
Britain invaded many countries during its 300 years of its greedy empire and killed more people during that time than were killed during WWII.
Its a fact.
Spread the word. - Pacific Columbia.
Good, succinct summary of the issues surrounding Site C.
Thanks for creating and sharing this very informative video. As a lifelong resident of BC I support both projects. Their impacts on North American & global energy needs are greatly beneficial. As well as the fact that the energy is green & clean, especially when compared to other forms such as wind and solar. People have little or no idea of how huge an impact wind and solar have on the environment. They tend to not understand how much mining it takes to provide the rare earth minerals needed for battery storage, for both those energy sources, and are ignorant of the fact that both solar panels and wind turbines have a reasonably short shelf life and need replacement every decade or two. Thus to keep them up and running, the mining of the earth must increase and continue indefinitely. Very few things are more impactful to the environment in multiple ways than mining.
100% of hydroelectric potential should be exploited. It is the single best source of electricity.
The dam is a much needed project for an increasing population and it will generate a lot of wealth.
On another note:--
Start calling it PACIFIC COLUMBIA as it is more appropriate.
Britain invaded many countries during its 300 years of its greedy empire and killed more people during that time than were killed during WWII.
Its a fact.
Spread the word. - Pacific Columbia.
Most expensive? My friend.
Muskrat Falls, Labrador.
$15 billion and counting.
It should be noted that Treaty 8 has basically two signatories, Canadians and aboriginal groups. Treaty 8 does not prohibit development of the land. Abos can still continue "as before", even if none of us do.
yup nothing says life is normal like hunting deer under water
@@theorenhobart As if there's no where else to hunt deer. I bet you're using a modern rifle, though, right? Decked out in camo, going in on a quad. We can't cherry pick the changes that please us while denying the ones that don't. We can't hide the deception behind ethnicity and some lofty idea that we're any more a part of the land than our countrymen.
@@theorenhobart The south side of the reservoir was steep slopes and no roads anywhere close. The reservoir will cause a slightly warmer winter micro climate that would probably enhance wildlife.
@@stevegoad4133warmer microclimate that will probably enhance wildlife?! That’s a very generalized blanket statement. Which wildlife will probably be enhanced?
@@aaykay4060 Warmer microclimate will prolong the growing season providing food for herbivores thus food for predators. I do not want to write a book.
Excellent video dude! Earned a sub :)
Good and interesting video. Site C Dam is important and reliable project for Canada.
Its crazy to opposite hydro power.
🙄. What does it mean to 'opposite' power?? If you are trying to say "oppose hydro power" then watch the video again because several reasons were given opposing the Site C power plant.
For one it does ruin fish bearing streams. Columbia River system as a prime example
Dam, that costs an arm & a leg!! 😅
Fortunately, that money spent is going directly into local residents pockets.
Water under the bridge …
….errr, dam.
This reservoir will never silt up because of the huge dam upstream. The payback is a hundred years or more.
100 years of electricity bro, for your grandkids
@@Normally_aspirated Nope, it's mostly transient workers on this one. Good thing too, the city couldn't handle the wave of unemployment when it's over if they weren't.
450000 homes . that's pathetic for the money invested...thats $24000 per home.
Whats the lifetime of a dam ? You are missing a crucial part of the calculation.
100 years
Also forgetting all the jobs that are created and stimulating the economy
Youve gained a follower!
Hey! Hello, I just want to say some fun fact. The province of Québec produce like 97% of his electricity from the hydroelectric power. The government owned all the company of electricity in the 60’s and they created Hydro-Québec. I like the dams and your video was very instructive and interessant👏.
HYDRO QUEBEC............YOU MEANT TO SAY HYDRO NEWFOUNDLAND, its their resource, benefitting the welfare state as usual.
@@darsharhef wtf are you saying? Yes, we buy your electricity VERY cheap. Excuse our society for that… BUT, there are WAY MORE barrages in the province of Québec than the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. You have Churchill falls. We have The Manic-Outardes, the La Grande (LG) or Installation Robert Bourassa, and many other "minor" barrages.
@@Florentmeunier360 so why do you need churchill then....greed
So the tax payers get to pay the bill for the dam as well as monthly electricity bills, and that raw deal enables big oil to sell their stuff at an even higher price that the taxpayers get none of?
Site c was not selected earlier because the ground around that portion of the river is not hard rock stable. the reservoir will have decades of slumping issues.
There are many dams around the world built on similar ground and have been engineered to be structurally sound.
Bc hydro is cutting corners, and I highly doubt that site c has been properly engineered as they are way over their proposed budget. Not to mention the trees they left in would a safety risk for years to come just like they still are a safety risk at wilston lake
@@JerezIwiski I live there. not too worried about the trees honestly. Loggers did as good a job as they could within the time frame. The main river sits at about 99% proper logged. Only saw 1 small section that they didn't cut. Not sure of the subsidiaries but what I could see it looked like they took what they could. While I'm not sure on the cutting corners part, I do know that the construction side was a complete and utter shit show. I do know that they never hit bedrock while piling.
@gareth3035 I live in the area too, and done deliveries to the dam. I was also told stories about williston lake, plus the fact it was never logged before the dam built there got filled and now there's a danger of trees getting lose from the bottom and rocketing up to the surface. Should of got rid of all of the trees so that wouldn't be a hazard in the future.
@@Yielar1I worked for a core drilling company there and we never hit bed rock once, this dam is doomed to fail
I enjoy the irony that the same people who argue that we don't have enough electricity for electric cars also argue that there's not enough demand for electricity to justify building site C
Liberals can't be liberals without hypocrisy.
The problem is, there's about 5.5 million people in BC, and so far the cost of this thing is up to $24B, so that works out to $4,347 per citizen, or $17,391 per household if the province were a series of households of 4.
@@theredscourge why would households pay for an industrial project.
The whole point is that it pays for itself.
@@chrisheatley706 The taxpayer always pays for it, or more accurately, they pay twice its cost over the life of the debt that's been taken out on their behalf by their government. These projects never pay themselves off anymore.
@@theredscourge but why are you implying that households provide the bulk of tax revenue, and that the project will recover none of its financing.
It doesn't seem to reflect a very sophisticated understanding of how anything works in modern society.
Excellent explanation of both the project and political angles.
I am from another part of the world, firstly many thanks for bringing about the point otherwise it might never come to my awareness;
then my perspective of the dam is obviously for it, it is a very natural human interaction with that site, plus you have so much more benefit from that project, especially the utilisation of the electricity for LNG export, not just to Asian parts, think about other people who have limited access to electricity, if not I think you could figure out many other ways to use those electricity; lastly I shall say you guys need to go for it, by examples to others falling behind.
The dam behind site C hold enough water for 24 hours of power production. Thats it. The only reason Horgan ended up going ahead with the project was because the previous government threw all the money they could scrape up to push construction so far ahead that it was cheaper to build the dam than to quit and fix the damage done., In that they succeeded. That was pretty much the only reason it went ahead.
"Past the point of no return" [before all the consultation, review, and consent obtained] thanks to Krusty the Clown!
Everything takes too long to build in Canada. Way to many rules and regulations.
And I say thank goodness for the rules and regulations. In addition to those rules and regs is the need to protect indigenous rights. This dam appears to violate those rights and the video did address how the natives people will be compensated for this loss of territory they would normally use for their subsistence.
Beyond that however, rules and regs are vital to protect the environment and to ensure the safety of workers among other issues.
I too find this dam project to be problematic on many levels and unfortunately some of those concerns will probably never be adequately addressed.
@@michaeldeierhoi4096 All of these groups use their objections to hold the project at ransom and they all melt away as soon as payments to them match what they think they can get by objecting. They are nothing but useless moochers screaming loud enough to ensure they can live off of the productive efforts of others. Like about half of the rest of Canada and the US. This is just what liberals do. They have only that to contribute.
We would have had the power faster and employed way more people if we invested in solar and wind.
Howl of protest in 3-2-1
ya because when you look at those high quality mega projects in Asia and Middle East, they never go wrong...
@paulchristensen2854 u need to look at a wind and solar map...
Why not build nuclear power plants? They're much smaller, give lots of power, are clean and require extraordinary amounts of idiocy to even possibly go wrong. Seriously, the amount of hubris and stupidity that happened at Chernobyl and to a lesser extent at Fukushima was unbelievable. Chernobyl had the recipe where they were unintentionally making an explosion happen. Fukushima had bad operators and still it's not nearly as bad as some make it to be. That's the entire list of actually bad nuclear power events. So build nuclear power plants. They're also very cheap once you get them up and running and new one's are far safer than old ones. What happened at Chernobyl could never happen again.
They’d be so worth it if they didn’t seem to redesign it every time they build a new one
@@PineappleKarl and the problem with a new updated design is????
The biggest reason not to go nuclear is cost. There is a reason that only one new power nuclear power is being built in the US and that is because it is absurdly expensive. The 2 new power plants built for the Vogtle Nuclear power plant cost 31 billion $!!
The supporters of nuclear power always seem to ignore that glaring point. All of that expense and elaborate technology just to boil water cleanly.
@@SpidermanandJeny Fukushima didn't have bad operators, it was just not fully aware of the consequences of a tsunami that huge.
@@michaeldeierhoi4096 the USA didn't stop nuclear because of the cost, it did after the Three Mile accident, widely covered so the typical USian just knows about Chernobyl and Fukushima
Very inspiring, insightful and well read personality indeed..... May the good Lord be extra kind to her
Great work thanks
Fun fact. Canadians don't pay their "electric" bill. They pay their "hydro" bill. They just fully expect most of their electricity to come from dams.
That's not entirely true. It depends where in canada you are living. Hydro bill is often used for example in Quebec, where hydro power is the dominant power and heating.... In Ontario sometimes you'll hear hydro and sometimes electricity (because some of the main companies that are proncialy sponsored are hydro and have it in their name) but they have the option so an electric bill is common terminology there.
@@jonathandpg6115 Thanks! I lived a few years in Ottawa and they said hydro.
Generalizing Canadians? We is the 2nd biggest country and that means a 4000mile wall which we ain't paying for. That is the Northern border. We make our own stuff and grow our own weed. So, no I do not know Office John in Toronto and I never have the desire to visit the U.S.
@@bunzeebear2973 In addition to living in Ottawa and visiting many times to Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, I've traveled the length of Canada by train dipped my toe in English Bay, Vancouver, then in Peggy's Cove outside Halifax 5 time zones away, which is much more than most Canadians. I was in Ottawa at 9/11 and witnessed the deep affection most Canadians (except you) hold for their neighbors.
🤔Some of the Hydro produced in the provinces is exported to the U.S.(this is like a state secret) Also? Homeowners will probably install solar on their homes, and store energy. If you didn’t have the available electricity growth, EVs would be impossible.
BC is 20 times bellow functionality if they implement EV's. I suppose they will tell us "Just stay home and do nothing"
@@ThereIsAlwaysaWay2 BC has solar options away from the coast, where the weather is better, and energy storage at off peak times is a viable option for homeowners. EVs are a viable choice, and internal combustion is definitely being superseded by better vehicles and technology. The whole picture can change drastically with the Cascadia subduction zone.
Don't need EV's in Canada. How do you clean the snow off solar panels? We need safe nuclear power around the world. Canada has had safe nuclear power for over 60 years.!!
@@richardpetker4337 EVs are here and a growing segment in the automotive market, the world over. There are contractions in the sale of ICE vehicles, meaning ICE manufacturers face bankruptcy if they don’t sell enough cars and trucks. That means consumers are done with ICE vehicles. ICE just can’t keep up.
@@richardpetker4337 This is BC nearly no snow, still even then, solar not reliable in BC, and tends to fade when you need it the most. This is a Club of Rome, Davos, Bildergerg agenda.
This is so weird at the beginning I thought you were talking about the other $6b dam that ballooned to $12b+ in muskrat falls in NL that’s taking far too long to build and had all the same issues you mentioned at the beginning. Didn’t know the same thing was happening in BC. I wonder how many of these actually come in near the initial budget?
It’s changed the river, the levels of the river fluctuate so much down stream now it’s insane, went boating on it this summer and the water level changed roughly 4 feet that day
I agree, we need it