B.C. Hydro’s 70-year-old John Hart generating station near Campbell River is being replaced with an underground facility to maintain power reliability, protect downstream fish habitat and increase seismic tolerance. The $1.1-billion project was started in 2007 and construction began in 2014.
Photographer Stephen Watson took a tour of the facility and filed this photo essay of the inner workings of the project.
The basics of how it works: Water is diverted from the Campbell River, drops into an underground tunnel and flows to the powerhouse, which is also underground. The force of the rushing water spins turbines, providing the energy to create electricity. Water exits via a tailrace and returns to the river.
Full commissioning begins this fall.
