John Horgan Named to Site C Dam, Adding 500,000 Homes
The B.C. government has renamed the Site C dam and generating station in northern British Columbia The John Horgan Dam and Generating Station. Premier David Eby announced the john horgan naming on Thursday and said the move honors the former premier’s role in the project’s completion.
Eby said the dam now provides clean energy for 500,000 homes annually and adds eight per cent to BC Hydro’s total electricity supply. The site is expected to serve the province for the next 100 years, and the reservoir now carries the name Nááchę mege, or Dreamer Lake.
David Eby on John Horgan
“We’re proud to name the Site C dam and generating station in honour of former premier John Horgan,” Eby said in a statement Thursday. He added, “John’s leadership and his decision to complete Site C through tough challenges helped secure B.C.’s clean-energy future.”
Eby also addressed Horgan’s past opposition to the project. “It would be completely disingenuous to stand here and pretend that John supported this project, so I won’t do that,” he said at the announcement.
He said Horgan had “misgivings” about Site C, but later chose to move it forward after saying cancellation would have cost billions of dollars. The dam cost $16 billion to build, according to the provincial figures tied to the announcement.
Site C in Northern B.C.
Construction on Site C began in July 2015, after the project was started under former B.C. Liberal premier Christy Clark. Horgan opposed it then, before announcing in late 2017 that the project would continue.
The reservoir stretches some 83 kilometres between Fort St. John and Hudson’s Hope and covers about 9,330 hectares. The province said the reservoir name, Nááchę mege, was chosen in consultation with local First Nations.
Chief Sherry Dominic of Blueberry River First Nations said, “In our culture, Dreamers hold a place of the highest respect and play a vital role as cultural leaders and knowledge holders.” She added, “Our members continue to carry their teachings and songs forward to this day.”
Dominic also said, “The name Nááchę mege reflects our history and our enduring connection to this land. It honours the cultural legacy of our people and ensures it will be recognized for generations to come.”
Nááchę Mege and BC Hydro
All six generating units came online in August 2025, giving the province the full output behind the new name. That leaves residents and businesses with the same electricity system, but under a renamed asset that the province now ties directly to Horgan’s decision to finish the work.
For people watching the project’s long arc, the practical change is the name itself. The dam, the generating station and the reservoir now carry provincial decisions made at different points in the project’s 10-year span.
