The provincial government has approved the third stage of development for the Site C dam, B.C.'s next major power project.
"Site C is an important part of British Columbia's energy, economic and social future and were ready to take it on," Premier Gordon Campbell said today at the W.A.C. Bennett Dam in Hudson's Hope, B.C.
The Site C project will be the third hydroelectric dam on the Peace River in northeastern B.C. and provide 900 megawatts of capacity and 4,600 gigawatt hours of electricity annually.
The government said that's enough electricity to power approximately 410,000 homes per year.
The project would create approximately 7,650 direct construction jobs if built, and up to 35,000 direct and indirect jobs through all stages of the project.
The third stage of Site C's development is a regulatory review phase, which would include an independent environmental assessment that takes two years.
The government said the project would also help facilitate the development of clean energy projects by providing additional reliable backup to intermittent renewable resources such as wind, run-of-river hydro and solar.
Following the third stage of the project, Site C would undergo detailed design and engineering work, and a seven-year construction phase.
The government anticipates Site C would commence operation in 2020.