Skip to content
Home › Projects & operations › Projects › Bridge River system upgrades

Bridge River system upgrades

Aerial view of the Bridge River powerhouse
Bridge River 1 Units 1 to 4 at Shalalth on Seton Lake.

We're working to renew the Bridge River electricity system which is about 300 kilometres north of Vancouver in the traditional territory of the St'át'imc Nation.

Over 20 projects are expected to take place in the system. Planning work and design for some projects has been underway since 2015, while others are getting started or ongoing. Construction for several projects has already been completed while others are in progress.

Explore some of our major projects:

Subscribe below for Bridge River System capital project updates.

What's new

Project updates, join our open house

We’ve released important updates to the La Joie Dam Improvement Project, including a revised project timeline and the latest findings on potential work camp locations.

More details are available in our recent project update notification [PDF, 391 KB].

Register for our July 8 open house

Join us for a virtual open house to learn more about these updates and ask questions. Registration is required. 

Date: July 8, 2025

Time: Noon to 1 p.m.

Location: Online

The personal information and opinions collected in this form are for registration in the La Joie Dam Improvement Project virtual open house by BC Hydro. This information will be stored outside of Canada. The information is collected under the authority of Section 26(c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for B.C. If you have any questions concerning how your personal information is handled, please contact projects@bchydro.com.

Key project updates

  • Changes to our project timeline estimates, including:
    • A revised earliest start of main works construction activities of 2030.
    • An updated earliest in-service date of fall/winter 2034.
    • See more details in our project timeline .
  • Work camp feasibility studies:
    • Our analysis has identified significant constraints at the Gold Bridge Town Site and Quarry-Adjacent Site. No further investigative work is being planned at these sites.
    • The Hurley Site is still under consideration.
  • Contingency planning:
    • A new site, the Truax Site, has been added as a contingency option in case the Hurley Site proves unfeasible (e.g., due to limited water supply).
    • This approach is intended to mitigate risks to the overall project schedule.

Further investigation and design work for the work camp will continue during the Definition Phase, following the completion of feasibility studies.

Note: As part of our procurement process when selecting a work camp operator, the intent is to remain open to bidders proposing alternative sites provided they meet or exceed the standards of our preferred location. 

Subscribe for project updates below.

System overview

Our Bridge River system is about 300 km north of Vancouver and consists of the La Joie Dam and Powerhouse (Downtown Reservoir), Bridge 1 and 2 Powerhouses (Terzaghi Dam and Carpenter Lake Reservoir), and Seton Dam and Powerhouse (Seton Lake).

Bridge River system upgrade project map

View project map [JPG, 2.7 MB] at a larger size.

What we're doing

We're renewing the Bridge River hydroelectricity system, located in the territory of the St'át'imc Nation. This system's proximity to the Lower Mainland helps us operate the electrical system more efficiently.

We're making a significant investment in these 63 to 70-year-old facilities, including several major projects in the region.
 

Why we're doing it

The electricity generated on the Bridge River system accounts for about 6% of BC Hydro's total generation. Together, these facilities can generate 556 MW of power, increasing to 593 MW once the Bridge 1 Units 1 to 4 Generator Replacement project is complete.

With infrastructure between 63 to 70 years old, these projects will address dam safety and reliability issues, allowing us to generate clean power for British Columbians, while working to mitigate our operational impacts on the environment.
 

Consultation

St'át'imc Nation

In 2011, St'át'imc Nation and BC Hydro signed a historic set of settlement agreements to address all past, present and future impacts related to the existing infrastructure in their territory. Those agreements guide our relationship today and provide a framework for how we'll continue to work together into the future.

We're committed to maintaining a relationship with the St'át'imc Nation that is built on respect and understanding. We're working together to incorporate St'át'imc interests into our project planning and implementation, and creating economic opportunities for St'át'imc businesses and people to be part of our projects and ongoing operations.

Stakeholders

Engagement and consultation with stakeholders including local governments, residents and businesses located near the project are a key part of the process.

Communications and updates come through many channels including:

  • Public presentations to the District of Lillooet and Squamish Lillooet Regional District
  • Open houses at key project milestones
  • Local ads
  • Bi-annual Bridge River newsletter
  • Project websites
  • BC Hydro social media posts
     

Reports and documents

Newsletters

Contact us

If you'd like to learn more about the project, please contact us at:

Email: projects@bchydro.com
Phone: 604 623 4472
Toll free: 1 866 647 3334
 

Get email updates

To receive information about the Bridge River System Upgrades Project by email, please fill out the form below.

Fields marked with * are required.

If you decide that you are no longer interested in receiving email from us, simply unsubscribe.

BC Hydro is collecting your personal information (specifically, name, and email), for the purposes of the Bridge River System Upgrades Project and will be used to contact you in the future about project updates, correspondence and notifications about future consultation opportunities. This is done in accordance with BC Hydro's obligations under the Utilities Commission Act and under the authority of the Hydro and Power Authority Act. Data may be stored outside of Canada. If you have specific questions about the project or privacy concerns, please contact projects@bchydro.com.