Planning for the future electricity needs of Bella Coola
A long-term electricity plan for the non-integrated area
In partnership with Nuxalk Nation, we produced a report outlining plans to power the Bella Coola remote microgrid with renewable, reliable and affordable energy for the next 20 years. The Bella Coola community context report will guide our efforts to meet the community's needs, covering both the current situation and future plans.
The current situation
While most of the province is powered by our interconnected electricity grid, which primarily supplies hydroelectricity, certain remote communities aren’t connected to the main grid and instead rely on standalone microgrids. Communities relying on standalone microgrids are called “non-integrated areas” (NIA).
All NIAs rely in some way on diesel generators to meet the electricity needs of the community. The Bella Coola microgrid is powered by both the Clayton Falls Hydroelectric Generating Station and diesel generators at Ah Sin-Heek. In recent years, Clayton Falls has provided ~40% of the community’s energy needs with diesel providing the rest.
Highlights from the Bella Coola report
Together with the Nuxalk Nation, we’re working to reduce diesel use, support energy-saving initiatives, improve the reliability of electricity service, and meet the evolving energy needs of the Bella Coola Valley.
Nuxalk Nation is building a second hydroelectric facility called the Nooklikonnik hydroelectric project. This renewable energy facility will displace over 1.5 million litres of diesel annually, delivering between 6,000 and 9,300 MWh of clean electricity each year enough to power up to approximately 900 homes. The Nation will build, own and operate the facility, and sell energy to us through a Community Electricity Purchase Agreement.
We're investing to upgrade the microgrid. A new control system will act as the "brains" of the microgrid responsible for sensing the load, making decisions to control complex scenarios of which energy resource to use when, and being able to react instantly to any changes to keep the grid stable. This innovative technology will ensure the microgrid remains stable no matter which facility is producing energy.
The diesel generating station is being upgraded over the next couple of years to add 1.8 megawatts (MW) of capacity, enough to provide the growing community with reliable electricity until 2043. We’re also investing in several reliability improvement measures like power pole replacements, new protection devices, bird mitigation and vegetation maintenance. As a result of previous investments, reliability for customers on the Bella Coola microgrid has been gradually improving.
The Nuxálk Nation is implementing several demand-side management initiatives to support energy efficiency and conservation measures. Bella Coola community members have access to our sponsored energy efficient upgrades.