The B.C. government has granted a conditional environmental assessment certificate to Creek Power Inc. for the $420 million Upper Lillooet hydro project.
A government press release noted that the decision was made after considering a review led by B.C.'s Environmental Assessment Office (EAO), which concluded that the project is not expected to result in any significant adverse effects, based on the mitigation measures and conditions of the environmental assessment certificate (EAC).
The EAC includes 37 conditions that outline environmental protection measures that will be taken.
The project consists of three run-of-river hydroelectric facilities on the Upper Lillooet River, Boulder Creek, and North Creek. The three facilities will be developed as a single hydroelectric project with a combined capacity of 121 megawatts. The project includes an approximately 72-kilometre-long, 230-kilovolt transmission line connecting the three facilities to BC Hydro's transmission line near Rutherford Creek.
Operating costs of the project are estimated to be $8.4 million annually.
