Waneta Dam
Encyclopedia
Waneta Dam is a concrete gravity-type hydroelectric
dam
on the Pend d'Oreille River
9 km downstream from Seven Mile Dam
in the Canadian province
of British Columbia
. It supplies electric power to metallurgical operations at Trail, British Columbia
and for BC Hydro
which since 2009 has a 1/3 ownership of the facility. It is located near the mouth of the Pend d'Oreille River just before it empties into the Columbia River
, slightly north of the Canada – United States border. The powerplant currently has four units and has a capacity of 450 megawatts.
Construction of a new two-unit powerplant commenced in winter of 2010/11 to increase the dam's generating capacity by an additional 335 megawatts. This project, called Waneta Expansion, is a partnership, with Fortis Inc.
holding a 51% share in the project and the two Crown agencies Columbia Power Corporation
and Columbia Basin Trust
holding a 32.5% and 16.5% share, respectively. SNC-Lavalin
is designing and building the project, which will take 4 1/2 years to construct, while Columbia Power Corporation is acting as project manager.
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
on the Pend d'Oreille River
Pend Oreille River
The Pend Oreille River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately long, in northern Idaho and northeastern Washington in the United States, as well as southeastern British Columbia in Canada. In its passage through British Columbia its name is spelled Pend-d'Oreille River...
9 km downstream from Seven Mile Dam
Seven Mile Dam
Seven Mile Dam is a concrete gravity-type hydroelectric dam on the Pend d'Oreille River 15 km SE of Trail, 18 km downstream from Boundary Dam and 9 km upsteam from Waneta Dam in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The powerplant has a capacity of 848 MW and generates 3200 GWh per year...
in the Canadian province
Provinces and territories of Canada
The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. It supplies electric power to metallurgical operations at Trail, British Columbia
Trail, British Columbia
Trail is a city in the West Kootenay region of the Interior of British Columbia, Canada.-Geography:Trail has an area of . The city is located on both banks of the Columbia River, approximately 10 km north of the United States border. This section of the Columbia River valley is located between the...
and for BC Hydro
BC Hydro
The BC Hydro and Power Authority is a Canadian electric utility in the province of British Columbia generally known simply as BC Hydro. It is the main electric distributor, serving 1.8 million customers in most areas, with the exception of the Kootenay region, where FortisBC, a subsidiary of Fortis...
which since 2009 has a 1/3 ownership of the facility. It is located near the mouth of the Pend d'Oreille River just before it empties into the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
, slightly north of the Canada – United States border. The powerplant currently has four units and has a capacity of 450 megawatts.
Construction of a new two-unit powerplant commenced in winter of 2010/11 to increase the dam's generating capacity by an additional 335 megawatts. This project, called Waneta Expansion, is a partnership, with Fortis Inc.
Fortis Inc.
Fortis Inc. is a St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador based international diversified electric utility holding company. It primarily operates in Canada and the Caribbean. In 2005, it earned a profit of $137.1 million Canadian from revenue of $1.44 billion....
holding a 51% share in the project and the two Crown agencies Columbia Power Corporation
Columbia Power Corporation
Columbia Power Corporation is a Crown Corporation, owned by the province of British Columbia, Canada. Its mandate is to undertake power projects in the Columbia River region of British Columbia....
and Columbia Basin Trust
Columbia Basin Trust
The Columbia Basin Trust was created by the Columbia Basin Trust Act in 1995 to benefit the region most adversely affected by the Columbia River Treaty , in the Canadian province of British Columbia....
holding a 32.5% and 16.5% share, respectively. SNC-Lavalin
SNC-Lavalin
SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. is a large Canadian engineering firm. It is one of the ten largest engineering firms in the world and is based in Montreal, Quebec. It formed in 1991 from the merger of SNC and the failing Lavalin, another Quebec based engineering firm....
is designing and building the project, which will take 4 1/2 years to construct, while Columbia Power Corporation is acting as project manager.
External links
- Waneta Expansion Project, Columbia Power Corporation
- BC Hydro's $825 Million Dam Deal, Andrew MacLeod, The Tyee, July 26, 2009