BC Hydro is moving forward with big plans for the Revelstoke Dam — big enough to power another 200,000 homes.
The provincial electric utility, which sources about 6,880 megawatts (58 per cent) of its total capacity from the Columbia Region, has announced that Revelstoke's namesake dam will be going ahead with the installation and activation of an additional generating unit.
"We’re adding a sixth generating unit at Revelstoke Generating Station to support electrification, meet peak demand, and enable us to add more renewable energy sources to our system," BC Hydro shared on Facebook last Sunday, Sept. 21. "We plan to start construction in spring 2026."
The utility has been talking about a sixth unit since at least 2018, when it mentioned among other things that the nearby reservoir would experience only small changes to water level fluctuation.
"We would continue to occasionally operate Revelstoke reservoir at a lower minimum level during cold weather or unusual system conditions," it wrote.
Features of the sixth unit, BC Hydro notes, would largely mirror the previous installation of the fifth unit. This includes an eight-metre penstock, seven-metre-wide Francis-style turbine with up to 400 cubic metres per second of discharge, and additional mechanical and electrical equipment in the dam's existing powerhouse.
Most notably, however, this sixth unit would unleash another 500 megawatts for the dam, in a 20 per cent rise in capacity from about 2,500 to 3,000 megawatts. That extra 500 megawatts of "dependable capacity" is "equivalent to powering roughly 200,000 homes," Susan Edgell, BC Hydro stakeholder engagement advisor, told Black Press Media by email.
Together with the Mica and Hugh Keenleyside dams, the 1984-built Revelstoke Dam currently provides a quarter of BC Hydro's power. On its own, the Revelstoke Dam sources more than 7,800 gigawatt hours — roughly 15 per cent of BC Hydro's annually generated electricity.
"Dams are considered a very clean source of power," Edgell said. "They don’t produce greenhouse gases and don’t consume water. Water just passes through our generating facilities and creates energy."
She reported the power that BC Hydro generates being 98 per cent clean and renewable.
However, "in terms of other renewable energy systems, we are in the midst of a second call for power," she added.
In a "competitive energy procurement process" carrying on from 2024, BC Hydro seeks to acquire electricity purchase agreements by early 2026 for up to 5,000 more gigawatt hours of clean and renewable energy per year, to meet demand for the province's growing population and industries.
For Revelstoke, following the start of construction on the dam's sixth unit next spring, the utility expects the project to elapse over seven years, through to the end of 2032.
To ensure the nearest community has a chance to engage and ask questions, BC Hydro hosts an open house at the Revelstoke Community and Aquatic Centre on Wednesday, Oct. 1, from 5 to 8 p.m. Visitors can stop by the Multi-Purpose Room inside.
For those unable to make that date or attend in person, BC Hydro runs a subsequent virtual event on Monday, Oct. 6, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Anyone wishing to attend the Wednesday open house may simply drop by, but those hoping to tune in virtually Oct. 6 must email [email protected] by Friday, Oct. 3, to receive an event link.
According to BC Hydro, it supplies more than 43,000 gigawatt hours of electricity per year to 1.6 million residential, commercial and industrial customers.
Learn more about the dam's generating unit expansion project at bchydro.com/energy-in-bc/projects/revelstoke-unit-6.html.
