56 INVEST in BC 2 0 2 4
NORTHEAST
▷
Chetwynd
▷
Dawson Creek
▷
Fort Nelson
▷
Fort St. John
▷
Hudson's Hope
▷
Pouce Coupe
▷
Taylor
▷
Tumbler Ridge
SHARE OF B.C.
POPULATION 1.4%
D
espite being the most sparsely populated
region of British Columbia, the Northeast is
an energy powerhouse. The region's plains,
foothills and boreal forests are the site of virtually
all the province's natural gas production as well
as a major source of hydroelectric power, newly
augmented by the Site C project on the Peace River.
As such, the region is on the verge of a huge
expansion in output. Exploration and production
from the huge Montney, Horn River and Liard
Basin gas fields are set to soar as liquefied natural
gas exports to Asia through the LNG Canada
terminal in Kitimat commence in 2025. The
Coastal GasLink pipeline, built to transport gas
from the region to the coast at Kitimat, saw its final
weld completed in fall 2023.
The Northeast makes a huge and soon-to-grow
contribution to clean energy as well. The existing
two dams on the Peace River generate around
30 percent of B.C.'s hydroelectric power and a third,
Site C, will supply 1,100 megawatts more—ensuring
the province's electrical grid is almost 100 percent
renewable far into the future. Its dam, spillway and
powerhouse now complete, Site C is now in the
process of filling its reservoir and is expected to
begin generating power in 2025.
In fact the Northeast punches above its weight
in a lot of respects. Among B.C.'s economic regions,
it has the highest proportion of people that are
working age, between 15 and 64, at 68 percent. It
also has the highest labour force participation rate
among working-age people, again 68 percent. It
A New
Energy
Era
The Northeast is about to vastly expand
its already outsized contribution to
B.C.'s energy output
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BC
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TOP:
DESTINATION
BC/ANDREW
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OPPOSITE
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CIT
Y
OF
FORT
ST.
JOHN
has the third-highest dollar value of major projects
planned or under construction in the province and
more than half that total is actively underway.
In addition to energy, the Northeast hosts
substantial agriculture, forestry and mining activity
as well. The Peace River country around Dawson
Creek and Fort St. John is home to grain, canola
and pulse farming along with cattle ranches and
feedlots. The forest industry, unfortunately, has
seen a wave of consolidation in recent years due to
POWERHOUSE:
The new Site C dam
(above) will generate
about 8 percent of
B.C.'s electricity with a
relatively small footprint;
Doig River First Nation
has established and is
developing an urban
reserve in Fort St. John
(bottom)
Official Publication of the BC Economic Development Association in special partnership with BCBusiness.
