Kwoiek Creek

Kwoiek Creek is a 49.9 MW, run-of-river project located on the lower reaches of Kwoiek Creek, a tributary to the Fraser River, approximately 14 km south of Lytton, British Columbia. Kwoiek Creek includes a water diversion and intake facility, a buried penstock and a powerhouse located on Kanaka Bar Indian Band's Whyeek IR No. 4 near Lytton. Kwoiek Creek also includes a 71 km-long, 138 kV transmission line to transmit electricity generated by the Project to the BC Hydro’s Highland Valley Substation near Mamit Lake. The Kwoiek Creek Hydroelectric Project, operating under a gross head of 564 metres and a maximum design flow of 13.5 cubic metres per second, produces an average of 215,000 MWh of electrical energy per year. The Project was subject to review under both the BC Environmental Assessment Act and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. Pursuant to the Canada-British Columbia Agreement for Environmental Assessment Cooperation, a coordinated, cooperative assessment of the Project by provincial and federal agencies was conducted. The provincial EA Certificate for the Project contains 74 commitments that must be implemented throughout various stages of the project. Key commitments include the following: - Providing fish passage around the diversion structure. - Maintaining in-stream flows to protect fish and fish habitat. - Developing mitigation/compensation, access management and monitoring plans in consultation with regulatory agencies. The Kwoiek Creek project has been granted with ECOLOGO® certification.  

Partnership

The developer of the project is Kwoiek Creek Resources Limited Partnership ("KCRLP"). KCRLP is an equal partnership between the Kanaka Bar Indian Band and Innergex. The KBIB is a member of the Nlaka'pamux Nation, within whose traditional territory the Project is located. The powerhouse, transformer and several other elements of the Project are situated on reserve lands of the KBIB. Kwoiek Creek provides significant benefits to the host, local, and regional communities, as well as the province, including: - financial benefits to the Kanaka Bar Indian Band to support development of, or enhance existing, educational, social, recreational and health programs; - tax revenues for the provincial and local governments; - almost 40% of the total project construction employment was fulfilled by qualified First Nation and local workers; - several long-term jobs for plant operators with contracted maintenance and other required services during the 40-year operational period; - business opportunities linked to the facility operation for the host, local and regional businesses; and, - new "green power" of approximately 215,000 MWh per year.