‘150 jobs’ to be created during construction of Stewart Creek Wind Project

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — A renewable energy company from Montreal is set to build a wind farm that may create around 150 jobs during construction and power tens of thousands of homes every year in the Peace region when it’s completed, according to a presentation to Dawson Creek council.

Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. gave a presentation at the May 6th Dawson Creek council meeting about its in-progress Stewart Creek Wind Project.

The initiative will see 35 wind turbines erected in a plot of Treaty 8 land between Fort St. John and Dawson Creek, as part of a partnership between Innergex and West Moberly First Nations.

Those 35 turbines are expected to be able to produce enough electricity to power roughly 50,000 homes in B.C. annually for 30 years.

According to Innergex, the project is also expected to produce roughly 150 job opportunities for people in the region during the development, construction and operation phases.

Those job opportunities will exist in a wide range of industries, including logging, transportation and construction.

According to the timeline included in the presentation, work began in 2008 under another company before Innergex inherited the project in 2022.

Right now, the company is in the process of performing baseline studies of the area and consulting with residents, acquiring permits from regulatory bodies and finalizing design elements.

The presentation comes after members of the Peace River Regional District (PRRD) expressed concerns during their May 1st meeting that residents’ input is being ignored regarding wind farms.

Mayor Darcy Dober thanked representatives from Innergex for sharing the presentation and consulting with residents, saying the area where the project will be built is important to people in Dawson Creek.

“This area is a big part of our community,” Dober said. “It’s close to our community, for recreation, harvesting animals, camping, fishing, so I think it’s important that, one, [they] came out here, but to consult with the residents in the area [as well].”

Assuming the project stays on track, construction is set to begin in 2028 and the turbines are set to become operational in 2030, lasting until 2060.

To view the full presentation, look below.

(presentation goes here)