The Kemano Generating Station is situated 75 km (47 mi) southeast of
Kitimat in the province of
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
, Canada. It was completed in 1954, providing
hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
for
Alcan's Kitimat
Aluminum smelter. The powerhouse is built in a cavern created 427 m (1,400 ft) inside the base of Mt Dubose. It produces 896 MW of power from its eight
generator units, each of which has a capacity of 112 MW. It was the largest producer in the province when it was built, and is now the fifth largest electrical plant in British Columbia.
The Kemano I project was made possible by constructing the largest rockfill dam in the world at the time, the
Kenney Dam on the east side of the
Nechako reservoir, some 193 km (120 mi) to the east. On the west side of the Nechako reservoir, a long water intake tunnel running through the Coast Mountain range diverts river water to
penstocks for a huge vertical drop to the power station at the former company town of
Kemano, BC.
In 1995, the provincial government cancelled the
Kemano Completion Project (Kemano II) that Alcan had been planning since 1987.
The additional tunnel dubbed "Kemano T2" was completed in December 2022. No additional power generation was added.
The smelter at Kitimat consumes about 80-85% of the plant's electricity, and the remainder is sold to BC Hydro's
Powerex.
Other names
*Kemano I
*Kemano project
*Nechako-Kemano project
*Kemano Hydro Project
*Kemano Powerhouse
*Kemano power station
*Kemano Diversion
*Kemano-Kitimat hydro
*Kemano System
*Kemano hydroelectric plant
*Kemano generating facility
*Kemano generating plant
*Kemano Generating Station - is used by BC Hydro and the Province of British Columbia in legal documents.
*Because the Kenney Dam and the Kemano powerhouse are miles apart and not connected, they don't share any name.
See also
*
List of generating stations in British Columbia
References
{{Reflist
Hydroelectric power stations in British Columbia
Alcan
Rock-filled dams
Dams completed in 1954
Energy infrastructure completed in 1954
1954 establishments in British Columbia
Dams in British Columbia
Kitimat