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2mo ago

B.C. Renames Site C the John Horgan Dam and Generating Station

The government says the new name recognizes Horgan’s decision to finish the $16 billion hydro project and underscores its role in B.C.’s clean‑power supply.

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The dam project formerly known as Site C has been renamed after the late Premier John Horgan.
Ken Boon inside his "Site C Sucks Museum" in the Peace River valley, housing a collection of protest materials gathered against the Site C dam dating back to the 1970s and early 1980s.

Overview

  • Premier David Eby announced the renaming on May 21 in Victoria at an event attended by John Horgan’s wife and family, formally changing the facility’s name from Site C to the John Horgan Dam and Generating Station.
  • BC Hydro and the province say the fully operational project produces about 5,100 GWh a year, enough for roughly 500,000 homes and roughly an 8% boost to the utility’s total electricity supply.
  • The dam’s final cost was about $16 billion, nearly double early estimates, after years of geotechnical challenges, construction overruns and reviews that left the project politically contentious.
  • The reservoir has been given the Dane‑zaa name Nááchę mege (Dreamer Lake) following consultations with some local First Nations, while other Indigenous leaders and long‑time local opponents called the naming and the project’s impacts disrespectful.
  • The decision highlights the complicated legacy of Horgan’s 2017 choice to let construction continue, it will shape future energy planning in B.C., and a formal naming ceremony with First Nations has been promised at a later date.