Join over 50 other Supporters to help expose issues affecting friends and family across Northeast B.C.

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – The final segment of the last penstock unit was installed in the Site C Dam on June 29th 2022, according to a tweet from the project’s official account.

“The final segment for the last penstock unit was placed into the powerhouse,” the post read. “We’ve pieced more than 90 segments together to form 6 penstock units, each 10 m in diameter and 80 m in length.”

The last piece of the massive steel pipe was installed into the powerhouse in the sixth and final penstock unit.

Penstock units are enormous tubes that channel water from the reservoir to the powerhouse. Once there, the pressure of falling water spins turbines that generate electricity that the $16 billion dam has promised for generations.

The segments are welded together at the dam site and positioned using an enormous specialized tower crane–one of only four of its kind in the world, according to a BC Hydro fact sheet.

Delivery of the segments began in April, 2019 and occurred overnight to minimize impact to local roads and traffic. The creation of the penstock segments took place locally at a fabrication shop in Fort St. John from Canadian steel.

The final penstock units were delivered over the course of June, 2022.

The final segment for the last penstock unit was placed into the powerhouse. We’ve pieced more than 90 segments together to form 6 penstock units, each 10 m in diameter and 80 m in length. These large steel pipes will channel the flow of water into the #SiteC generating station. pic.twitter.com/q3O30jeaXR

Thanks to over 50 Supporters who care about local news, we were able to hire an investigative reporter to start a series delving into the health care system in Northeast B.C.; however, we will need your help to keep this reporter working year-round.

For as little as $5 a month, you will fund more coverage that will expose issues affecting friends and family in our region. 

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

Grace Giesbrecht is a news reporter for EnergeticCity.ca who recently graduated from Trinity Western University with a bachelor of arts in Media + Communications. She was born and raised just outside of Fort St. John. She began reporting for her university’s student newspaper and interned with Ottawa Life Magazine where she developed a passion for asking questions, telling stories, and the written word. In her free time, you can find her drinking coffee, snowboarding, or reading novels. More by Grace Giesbrecht

Your support is appreciated. Everyone that makes a monthly or annual donation will receive an Energeticcity.ca Mug! Once your payment is completed, we will email and ask for your mailing address.