Dix says Hydro to add 3,500 gigawatt hours from four wind projects
BC Hydro is moving ahead with four new renewable energy projects, awarding 30-year electricity purchase agreements to four wind projects after a July 2025 call for power drew 14 proposals. The projects will add 3,500 gigawatt hours of electricity a year, enough to power 350,000 more homes, and are expected to begin coming online as early as 2032.
Adrian Dix, the minister of energy and climate solutions, said the projects expand B.C.'s electricity supply while keeping power reliable and affordable. Charlotte Mitha, BC Hydro's president and CEO, said, "Expanding wind generation strengthens and diversifies BC Hydro’s power supply, while our flexible hydroelectric system ensures reliability when wind conditions change."
July 2025 call for power
BC Hydro launched the call for power in July 2025 and received more than 9,100 gigawatt hours per year in proposals. The four selected wind projects will provide about 3,500 gigawatt hours per year, or roughly 5% of BC Hydro’s current supply.
That response left most bidders without an award, but it also showed the scale of the competition. The utility said the 2025 round followed its 2024 call for power, which secured 5,000 gigawatt-hours of clean electricity from 10 wind and solar projects.
First Nations ownership in Hydro
Each successful project will have 51% equity ownership held by First Nations, and the four projects together represent more than $2 billion of ownership by First Nations in the new renewable energy projects. Each project will also provide non-equity benefits to two First Nations, a requirement built into the selection.
BC Hydro said all selected projects exceed 200 megawatts and range from 201 to 496 megawatts. The development and construction work is expected to generate as much as $4.3 billion in private capital spending and create 1,500 jobs throughout the province.
October 2033 deadline
The projects are expected to start coming online as early as 2032, with all of them in service by October 2033. Until then, the practical change for customers is a larger supply pipeline already under contract, with wind added to a system Charlotte Mitha said will rely on hydroelectric flexibility when wind output changes.
Adrian Dix said, "Clean, affordable electricity is essential to strengthening B.C.’s ability to power itself, grow the economy and attract private-sector investment that creates good jobs across the province, and that’s why we’re taking transformative action now to build out BC Hydro’s system."
