South Sutton Creek Hydro Project
Just west of Port Alberni, lies the 5.5 megawatt South Sutton Creek Hydro project. A sister project to the Marion 3 Creek project near Sutton Pass, South Sutton was designed to be low impact both from an environmental perspective but also visually. Apart from the power line to connect the project to the BC Hydro grid along Highway 4, there is little other evidence this plant co-exists in the Taylor River drainage area. South Sutton Creek reached its commercial operation date October 26, 2005.
"It is important to us that our projects can operate with little to no environmental impact and fit the surrounding area as if they were meant to exist in the same place," said South Sutton Creek Hydro President Sam Jackson. "We chose to use existing roads and lands as to not further disturb the area.
Completed in one and a half years of construction, the project's penstock is buried, both underneath the old forestry service road and a new trail on the east side of the creek for the majority of the 1000 meters of distance between the intake and the powerhouse, which is located near the Sutton Creek gravel pit.
Last Modified: Nov 24, 2005
