Innergex: Fitzsimmons Creek Micro-Hydro Plant at Whistler Mountain

Climbing the mountain A 7.5-megawatt hydroelectric facility went into commercial operation at Whistler Mountain in early 2010, just before Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort welcomed the world to its slopes for the Winter Olympics. Keith Regan learns how the project was brought in ahead of schedule and how it fits into a larger sustainability mission for the community. Just a few weeks before thousands of athletes, journalists and visitors descended on Whistler, British Columbia, where most of the alpine skiing and related events during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games take place, BC Hydro formally accepted the Fitzsimmons Creek Micro-Hydroelectric Plant to begin sending electricity onto the regional power grid.  Although the plant was shut down during the GamesÔÇöand to await high-water season, which usually begins in April as the deep snowpack begins to meltÔÇöthe project was brought in nearly six months ahead of an already aggressive original schedule, a testament to the team as well as the community, which has generally supported the project, says Michel Letellier, president and CEO of Innergex Renewable Energy, the Canadian company that owns a two-thirds interest in the plant. ÔÇ£There were some significant challenges along the way, but the team was able to overcome them. WeÔÇÖre thrilled to have it completed as the Olympics get started, and we can point to it as an example of the sustainability story being told here,ÔÇØ Letellier says. Among the challenges was a narrow construction right-of-way adjacent to the existing Olympic sliding centerÔÇöwhere bobsled and luge events were to be held during the Games. Meanwhile, near the end of the construction period, the main generator in the plant arrived on schedule, but rather than being fully assembled, it came in multiple pieces. ÔÇ£It required an all-hands, around-the-clock response, but it got done with minimal impact on the schedule,ÔÇØ says Natalie Closs, a project manager overseeing the work on behalf of Innergex. Closs credits Ledcor, the general contractor of the project, with managing the construction and making the most out of the time gained on the penstock installation when excavating work turned out to be easier than expected in the normally rocky mountain soil. Innergex bought its two-thirds stake in the plant in 2008; the final third is retained by LedcorÔÇÖs Power division. ÔÇ£The contractor did an excellent job of moving the project along to get us to completion early,ÔÇØ she adds. ÔÇ£And even though we came in after the development stage, we have felt that Whistler Blackcomb was there as a strategic partner and strong supporter of the project all the way from conception to completion.ÔÇØ Although it doesnÔÇÖt own the rights to the water license, Whistler Blackcomb resort sees the green energy plant as a manifestation of a longer-term sustainability mission. Energy will be sent from the plant to the nearby Whistler Rainbow substation and from there to the larger Whistler community. The electricity is equivalent to that used by the resort during the year to operate its 38 lifts, 17 restaurants, 269 snow-making guns and support facilities. ÔÇ£We know weÔÇÖre not going to conserve our way out of this global crisis,ÔÇØ says Arthur DeJong, mountain planning and environmental resource manager at the resort. ÔÇ£We have to do bigger things. We see this as helping the higher-level, greater good.ÔÇØ The resort is now exploring the possibility of a wind-power installation as well. ÔÇ£It helps our brand because people who come here are very aware of the green mission weÔÇÖre on, and this becomes something our guests can witness in action.ÔÇØ The Fitzsimmons hydroelectric installation grew out of the Whistler 2020 forum, through which ideas for sustainable projects are forwarded to local authorities for completion. The mountain partnered with Ledcor, with Innergex arriving shortly after working began to become a key part of the partnership. ÔÇ£Because Innergex focuses on long-term renewable energy productionÔÇöitÔÇÖs their core mission and visionÔÇöthey were a great partner for us as well,ÔÇØ DeJong adds. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖre a ski resort; thatÔÇÖs our core competency. But by reaching out to partners, we can do a lot more than we could on our own.ÔÇØ Whistler Blackcomb embraced sustainability and environmental friendliness after learning an expensive lesson when a generator on the mountain leaked fuel into the creek in 1993. It became aware of the possibility of a micro-hydro installation on the creek in 2000 and spent several years working out the partnership with Ledcor and gaining buy-in from the Whistler community, DeJong says. ÔÇ£There are always trade-offs when youÔÇÖre building anything alongside a mountain creek. But in the end we were able to demonstrate we could be gentle on the area and have a positive impact that goes well beyond the mountain itself.ÔÇØ The mountainÔÇÖs green mission extends beyond the plant to include operation of the resort and the recent decision to place 24,000 acres of undisturbed woods and wetlands that is habitat for grizzly bears and moose into a permanent conservancy. Innergex operates two other hydro plants in British Columbia, each of them 49.9-megawatt installations. ÔÇ£By our standards this is a small project, but it was appealing to us for a number of reasons,ÔÇØ says its CEO, adding that Innergex is looking at other micro-hydro options in the region and is also in the early stages of exploring the possibility of wind power in the province, which would add to a renewable portfolio that includes wind farms and hydro installations in Qu├®bec, Ontario and Idaho. ÔÇ£This project has been great, because even though itÔÇÖs small, it has garnered a lot of attention and interest,ÔÇØ Letellier says. ÔÇ£When people see the community support for a project like this, that helps to change attitudes about renewable power, and that can have a tremendous impact.ÔÇØ The power producer recently entered into an agreement to combine with Innergex Power Income Fund, a sister company, for which Innergex manages 12 operating sites under long-term contracts. As InnergexÔÇÖs CEO points out, ÔÇ£The resulting company will be a renewable energy industry forceÔÇöa pure play with significantly greater scale and the financial resources to pursue more renewable energy projects in Canada.ÔÇØ