BC Hydro issues new call for baseload power supply

British Columbia's power utility wants to boost the province's baseload electricity generation capacity in a bid to meet the province's growing demand from residents and industries.

British Columbia’s power utility wants to boost the province’s baseload electricity generation capacity in a bid to meet the province’s growing demand from residents and industries.

Baseload capacity refers to constant and stable power sources, with Energy Minister Adrian Dix announcing BC Hydro’s request for expression of interest from companies to provide geothermal or hydroelectric projects to expand long-term power capacity and meet peak demand.

BC Hydro has also launched a second request, seeking partners who can deliver “market-ready technologies” for boosting power conservation in homes and buildings across the province.

Dix says both requests are aimed at matching B.C.’s growth potential with stable and affordable electricity supply.

BC Hydro has been dealing with a long-term drought that forced the province to import electricity last fiscal year.

The Crown utility says 13,600 gigawatt hours of power was imported in 2024 — about 22 per cent of all B.C’s power — but that the province has been a net electricity exporter for eight of the last 15 years.

The utility last year issued a call for power from renewable sources, later selecting nine wind and one solar project — but these are distinct from baseload projects because they rely on what BC Hydro calls “uncontrollable conditions.”