British Columbia’s Site C dam to cost $16 billion, delayed until 2025 – JWN

March 1, 2021

British Columbia Premier John Horgan says completing the Site C dam is in the best interests of residents, despite the project’s price tag ballooning to $16 billion and completion date stretching to 2025.

The premier told a news conference Friday that Site C has faced “significant challenges,” and the $5.3-billion cost increase and one-year construction delay are due to geotechnical issues, COVID-19 and other pressures.

However, Horgan said the hydroelectric dam in northeastern B.C. is half done and cancelling it now would mean laying off 4,500 workers and a sunk cost of $10 billion. The average ratepayer would pay 26 per cent more, or about $216 a year, to cover the debt, he said.