B.C. selects nine wind power projects to boost energy supply by eight per cent a year

British Columbia has given the green light to nine wind energy projects that will boost the province's hydro-electric grid by eight per cent a year, enough to power 500,000 homes.

Premier David Eby says BC Hydro, a Crown utility, has selected the projects following a strong response to its call for new renewable power-generation operations.

He says the development and construction will generate between $5 billion and $6 billion in private spending on the projects, four of which will be located in the B.C. Interior, four in the North and one on Vancouver Island.

The power supply announcement comes as the Business Council of B.C. issues a report outlining concerns about the province's economic future due to a potential decline in private sector investment and the completion of mega-projects like the Site C hydroelectric dam.

Eby notes the report comes out on the day B.C. is making an announcement that will contribute greatly to the future of the province as an economic generator and a clean-power leader.

The wind projects are slated for completion by 2031 at the latest, and eight of them have a 51 per cent Indigenous equity ownership.