The Waneta Dam is a concrete gravity-type

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

on the

Pend d'Oreille River The Pend Oreille River ( ) is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately long, in northern Idaho and northeastern Washington (state), Washington in the United States, as well as southeastern British Columbia in Canada. In its passage throu ...

in the

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. It lies downstream of

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 upstream from Waneta Dam in the Canadian province of British Columbia Brit ...

at the Pend d'Oreille's confluence with the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

. It is located about southeast of

Trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. Th ...

and north of the U.S. border at

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. It supplies electric power to

Teck Resources Teck Resources Limited, known as Teck Cominco until late 2008, is a diversified natural resources company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, that is engaged in mining and mineral development, including coal for the steelmaking indust ...

metallurgical operations at

Trail, British Columbia Trail is a city in the West Kootenay region of the Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It was named after the Dewdney Trail, which passed through the area. The town was first called Trail Creek or Trail Creek Landing, and the name was shorten ...

and for

BC Hydro The British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority, operating as BC Hydro, is a Canadian electric utility in the province of British Columbia. It is the main electricity distributor, serving more than 4 million customers in most areas, with the excep ...

which since 2010 has a 1/3 ownership of the facility. As of 2018 BC Hydro owns 100% of the generating stn It is located near the mouth of the Pend d'Oreille River just before it empties into the

, slightly north of the

Canada–United States border The border between Canada and the United States is the longest international border in the world. The terrestrial boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Can ...

BC Hydro Purchase

In 2010, BC Hydro purchased a one-third interest in the Waneta Dam from

for a price of $825 million On August 1, 2017, BC Hydro announced its intention to purchase the remaining two-thirds interest in the dam from Teck for a price of $1.2 billion. Teck's

smelter will continue to use two-thirds of the electricity generated by the dam, continuing the terms of the previous agreement. In July 2018, the sale of the remaining two thirds interest from Teck to BC Hydro was finalized for $1.2 billion.

Waneta Expansion

Construction of a separate two-unit powerplant commenced in Winter of 2010/11 to increase the dam's generating capacity by an additional 335 megawatts. This project, Waneta Expansion, is a partnership, with

Fortis Inc. Fortis Inc. is a St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador-based international diversified electric utility holding company. It operates in Canada, the United States, Central America, and the Caribbean. In 2015, it earned . Fortis was formed in 19 ...

holding a 51% share in the project and the two Crown agencies

Columbia Power Corporation Columbia Power Corporation is a Crown Corporation, owned by the province of British Columbia, Canada. Its mandate is to undertake hydro-electricity projects in the Columbia River region of British Columbia. In so doing, it is required to work w ...

and

Columbia Basin Trust Columbia Basin Trust was created by the ''Columbia Basin Trust Act'' (British Columbia) in 1995 to benefit the region most adversely affected by the Columbia River Treaty (CRT), in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The CRT, ratified by t ...

holding a 32.5% and 16.5% share, respectively.

SNC-Lavalin SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. is a Canadian company based in Montreal that provides engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services to various industries, including mining and metallurgy, oil and gas, environment and water, infrastructure, a ...

designed and built the project which came online in 2015.

References

External links

Waneta Expansion Project
Columbia Power Corporation {{DEFAULTSORT:Waneta Dams in British Columbia Hydroelectric power stations in British Columbia West Kootenay Dams completed in 1954 Dams on the Pend Oreille River Gravity dams BC Hydro Publicly owned dams in Canada

BC Hydro Purchase

Waneta Expansion

See also

References

External links