BC Hydro has signed its main civil works contract for the Site C dam on the Peace River, for an eight-year project expected to cost $1.75 billion and generate 8,000 person-years of employment.
The contract is with Peace River Hydro Partners, made up of Petrowest Corp. of Calgary, ACCIONA Infrastructure Canada, a division of a Spanish construction firm, and Samsung C&T Canada Ltd., a division of the Korean engineering and electronics company.
The contract covers construction of the earth-fill dam, two diversion tunnels and a concrete foundation for the generating station and spillways.
Site preparation work is underway for the third dam on the Peace River near Fort St. John, and a work camp capable of hosting up to 1,500 workers is under construction.
NDP Leader John Horgan and B.C. Federation of Labour president Irene Lanzinger both denounced the lack of job guarantees for British Columbia workers in the contract. BC Hydro says three-quarters of the workers currently on the site are from B.C.
