Mears Creek Hydro Project
Harnessing the green energy of one of the tributaries of Gold River, the Mears Creek Hydro project utilizes Mears Creek, immediately south of Muchalat Lake, approximately 20 kilometres northwest of the Town of Gold River on Vancouver Island.
The 3.8-megawatt run-of-river plant, owned solely by Synex Energy Resources Ltd. was constructed in eight months and began operating in late January 2004. The project consists of 1.6 km long, 760 mm diameter penstock that draws water from Mears Lake, dropping it 350 metres to the to the powerhouse, which houses a Pelton turbine/generator and the electrical switchgear. A 13 km powerline at 25kV connects the powerhouse to the existing BC Hydro distribution system at Tsaxana near Gold River. The powerline was constructed partly along the existing logging road and partly adjacent to an existing BC Hydro transmission line.
Last Modified: Nov 24, 2005
