The Site C Clean Energy Project is a 1,230 MW hydroelectric development on the Peace River in northeastern British Columbia and one of the largest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in Canada. Owned by BC Hydro, the project delivers approximately 5,100 GWh of renewable electricity annually—enough to power about 450,000 homes—supporting the province’s long-term energy security and decarbonization goals. The facility was fully commissioned in August 2025.

Knight Piésold served as lead designer for the main civil works contractor, Peace River Hydro Partners (PRHP), with responsibility for a wide range of high-consequence temporary civil works that were essential to enabling construction of the permanent dam, generating station, and spillways. These works included large diversion cofferdams, river diversion infrastructure, site-wide care-of-water systems, temporary excavations, slope stabilization, mechanically stabilized earth walls, haul roads, a 4.5-kilometre till conveyor corridor, and engineered spoil and borrow areas, including facilities for the containment of potentially acid-generating (PAG) materials.

The temporary works functioned as critical infrastructure, safely controlling a major river system and creating dry, stable working conditions under challenging hydraulic, geotechnical, and environmental conditions. Knight Piésold supported the project over approximately 14 years, from early permitting studies through construction, commissioning, and rehabilitation, providing continuity of technical leadership. Through integrated geotechnical, hydraulic, structural, and environmental engineering, Knight Piésold enabled safe construction, regulatory compliance, and the successful delivery of a nationally significant clean energy project with enduring value for British Columbia.

Knight Piésold delivered technically robust, adaptable engineering solutions for high-risk infrastructure. Early permitting involvement included sediment transport and fluvial geomorphology studies, informing environmental assessments and establishing a defensible technical foundation for design.

During detailed design and construction, Knight Piésold served as lead designer for PRHP using an integrated design-construction model. Multidisciplinary teams embedded with the contractor enabled daily coordination, rapid response to evolving ground conditions, and alignment between design intent, constructability, and safety. Temporary works—including diversion cofferdams, excavations, and slope stabilization—were designed using conservative criteria supported by comprehensive investigation, instrumentation, and monitoring.

Instrumentation-driven design allowed real-time assessment of seepage, pore pressures, and deformation, enabling adaptive management of construction sequencing and risk mitigation. Environmental protection was integral, with water management systems and containment facilities designed to manage extreme weather events and PAG materials in regulatory compliance.

Close collaboration with BC Hydro, PRHP, regulators, and Indigenous representatives ensured transparency and continuity from early studies through rehabilitation. This integrated approach transformed construction challenges into opportunities to enhance safety, resilience, and project performance.

The Site C Clean Energy Project was successfully commissioned in 2025, delivering 1,230 MW of reliable, renewable electricity to British Columbia. The temporary works designed by Knight Piésold performed safely, enabling river diversion and dam construction under extreme conditions. The project’s legacy lies in advancing best practices for high-consequence construction-stage engineering while supporting long-term clean energy, environmental stewardship, and economic resilience for the province.