Lower Mainland and Coast
Where: The south coast, Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley, stretching from Bridge River (near Lillooet) to Port Moody in the Lower Mainland.
Facilities:
- 13 hydroelectric facilities, originally built between 1911 and 1960.
- 1 thermal plant, decommissioned in 2016.
Total capacity: About 1,104 MW, about 9.3 per cent of BC Hydro's total capacity.
Total power generated: The coastal region generates an average of about 4,700 gigawatt-hours (GWh) a year, about 10 per cent of the total 46,000 GWh.
BC Hydro's total generating capacity
BC Hydro's total generating capacity is based on the nameplate capacity of each facility.
These numbers are updated annually. Percentages are based on BC Hydro's total generating capacity of 12,048.9 MW which includes hydroelectric, thermal and diesel generating stations owned by BC Hydro.
Bridge River 1 & 2 Generating Stations
Built: 1948-1960
Generating capacity: 478 megawatts (MW)
Stave Falls Generating Station
Built: The original powerhouse was built in 1911; it was replaced by a new powerhouse in 2000.
Generating capacity: 91 MW
Ruskin Generating Station
Built: 1930
Generating Capacity: 105 MW
Burrard Generating Station
Built: 1960
Generating capacity: 950 MW
In November 2013 the provincial government announced that BC Hydro will stop generating electricity at Burrard Generating Station by 2016. At that time, the generating capability at Burrard will no longer be required after the addition of two new generating units at Mica Generating Station, completion of the Interior to Lower Mainland transmission line and installation of a new transformer at Meridian Substation in Coquitlam. Burrard will continue to provide voltage support to the BC Hydro transmission and distribution system in the Lower Mainland.
Cheakamus Generating Station
Built: Originally built in 1957, seismic rehabilitation was completed in 1988.
Generating capacity: 158 MW
Lake Buntzen #1 Generating Station
Built: The original powerhouse, the oldest in BC Hydro's system, came into service in 1904, and was replaced in 1951. A second powerhouse, Buntzen No. 2, was completed in 1914. At the turn of the millennium Buntzen No. 2 was shut down. Buntzen No. 1 is monitored and operated by a remote control facility in Burnaby.
Total generating capacity: 60 MW