BC Hydro launches plan to meet growing demand with clean Power

Key Takeaways:

• BC Hydro is launching a 10-year, $36-billion capital plan — the largest in its history — to upgrade and expand B.C.’s electricity system and meet rising demand from population growth, housing, industry, and the shift to clean energy.
• The plan focuses on increasing the province’s supply of clean, renewable electricity through new generation and transmission projects, supporting B.C.’s climate goals and its transition away from fossil fuels.
• The capital plan is expected to create approximately 10,500 jobs annually over the next decade, supporting economic development in communities across the province, including significant opportunities for Indigenous participation.

The Whole Story:

BC Hydro has launched two requests for expressions of interest (RFEOI) to explore the next era of the province’s power potential, expand clean-energy resources and advance energy efficiency.

Officials say these actions are critical to ensuring a stable, reliable electricity system that supports new housing, businesses and industries while keeping energy costs affordable for people.

“We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lead the world in clean energy and we’re acting with urgency to make sure every British Columbian benefits,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions. “By expanding our clean-power supply and increasing energy efficiency, we’re securing our power grid, building a resilient electricity system and creating sustainable jobs that drive economic growth.”

The first RFEOI focuses on expanding B.C.’s long-term capacity to meet peak electricity demand as consumption patterns evolve. BC Hydro is seeking ideas on capacity and baseload energy projects, including geothermal, pumped storage and hydroelectric resources. Capacity and baseload projects can reliably deliver firm power and provide backup for intermittent energy projects, such as wind and solar that rely on external, uncontrollable conditions such as the wind blowing or the sun shining to deliver power.

The second RFEOI targets innovation in energy efficiency by identifying partners capable of delivering market-ready technologies that help conserve energy in homes and buildings. Through the RFEOI, BC Hydro seeks to collaborate with industry leaders and forward-thinking organizations to help people in British Columbia save energy and lower costs.

Energy efficiency is the cleanest and least expensive way to meet increasing demand for power. The energy-efficiency RFEOI supports BC Hydro’s comprehensive Power Smart energy savings program and complements BC Hydro’s $700 million expanded Energy Efficiency Plan, which increases investments in tools, technologies and rebates. These initiatives encourage energy-conscious decisions and help customers reduce electricity consumption. BC Hydro estimates that this plan will save customers $80 million annually and deliver more than 2,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity savings by 2030, the equivalent of powering more than 200,000 homes.

“We are looking beyond the near term and opening up exploration of the next chapter of B.C.’s energy future by advancing the dialogue with industry participants and potential partners around clean-technology investments and expanding our leading energy-efficiency programs,” said Chris O’Riley, president and CEO of BC Hydro. “With BC Hydro’s long-standing legacy of delivering clean, reliable power, these initiatives will drive growth, sustainability and energy security, creating new opportunities across British Columbia.”

The information gathered from both RFEOIs will guide future energy planning and procurement strategies. Submissions will close in September 2025.

Both initiatives are part of the recently announced Clean Power Action Plan, an ambitious strategy to strengthen energy security, enhance system resilience and accelerate the transition to clean power. The plan also includes:

• launching a second call for power to acquire a target of as much as 5,000 gigawatt-hours per year of energy from large, clean and renewable projects, which builds on the success of the 2024 call for power and resulted in 10 new renewable-energy projects, with First Nations asset ownership between 49% and 51%, capable of powering about 500,000 new homes;
• investing more than $12 million from the B.C. Innovative Clean Energy fund in a targeted three-year call for new, made-in-B.C. clean-energy technologies that will combat climate change and create sustainable jobs; and
• streamlining connections to B.C.’s grid to enable new homes and businesses to access clean electricity faster and less expensively.

Through these actions, BC Hydro is reinforcing its commitment to delivering clean, reliable energy, supporting British Columbia’s transition to a low-carbon economy and ensuring electricity remains affordable, sustainable and accessible to all residents.