A Hydroelectric expansion project that has been raising concerns on the citizens of Atlin, British Columbia, will be discussed at an open house event tomorrow, January 4. According to a report from the CBC, the event will be to openly discuss the impacts of the project.
Firstly, the Tlingit Homeland Energy Limited Partnership (THELP) proposed a plan to expand the installed capacity of the Atlin Hydro facility. The expansion project would add 8.5 megawatts of renewable energy to the territory’s grid to meet winter demand.
Moreover, the facility would now have a yearly capacity of 45 gigawatt-hours of hydroelectricity; enough to power 3,750 Yukon homes a year. According to the CBC, the outcome of the project would directly impact the Yukon. The companies expect to complete the project by 2024.
On the other hand, THELP has considerable advance in the project’s development. In 2021 it applied for permits from the B.C. government. It also applied to the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board for permits related to the project’s transmission connection to Jakes Corner, Yukon.
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Hydroelectric expansion project with impacts for the community
As for tomorrow, the Atlin District Board of Trade will hold the event at the Recreation Centre Hall. Heather Keny, a member of the board, said to the CBC they did not have an official position on the matter; and that they are holding the event to give people a public forum to voice their concerns.
“We’re in the middle of the consultation period right now with the B.C. government so it’s important that the community gets together and just voices their opinions or concerns as a group,” Keny said. She believes the project would have serious impacts on the community and the land.
On the one hand, the project would have to trespass private property, and to clear-cut parts of the forest to bury the pipeline. On the other hand, the project would raise the level of Surprise Lake, which would devastate the grayling spawning. It would also impact Pine Creek Falls, which is one of the region’s landmarks for tourism.
Finally, the Board of Trade said the expansion project would be located in the middle of the community’s recreation reserve. Judi Urquhart, a resident of Atlin, said to the CBC that such an area was once protected for its cultural and environmental significance. Also, some wetlands would be dried out with potential fire hazards for surrounding communities.
