British Columbia: Clean electricity snapshot

Overview of electricity in British Columbia

British Columbia has an abundance of natural resources that the province uses for clean energy production. The province is Canada’s largest producer of biomass-generated electricity thanks to the leftover wood waste from its forestry industry. The province’s hydropower is also being routed to supercharge the next generation of green hydrogen generation. British Columbia is building on energy production expertise to be a global leader on renewable power in the 21^st century.

A clean electricity grid can have several benefits

In addition to cleaner air and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, a clean electricity grid can provide several benefits:

• Independent experts from Clean Energy Canada forecast that there will be 317,010 clean energy jobs added in British Columbia between 2025 and 2050^{Footnote 1} , providing both economic growth and new job opportunities as the provinces moves towards a net-zero economy
• British Columbia has seen the fastest uptake of electric vehicles in North America and is one of the largest producers of renewable energy in Canada. British Columbia has 51% of Canada’s hydrogen and fuel cell facilities. Hydrogen exportation has a potential of generating $15 billion by 2050 from the province alone.^{Footnote 2} Continued investment will encourage global demand for British Columbia’s expertise and technology over the next 30 years.
• The province has several volcanic regions that could be good spots to produce clean geothermal electricity.

Electricity generated

As of 2022, British Columbia had 702 Megawatts (MW) of wind and 303 MW of solar installed on its grid.

Economic opportunities and key projects

Supported by over $40 billion in new tax-credits from Budget 2023 and other major federal investment programs, the Clean Electricity Regulations will help drive significant economic opportunities in the province through the construction of new power sources and retrofitting of existing plants.

Since 2016, the British Columbia Indigenous Clean Energy Initiative has created more than 1,200 clean energy jobs and generated over $16 million in revenue for First Nations communities in the province.

British Columbia is well-positioned to become a leader in hydrogen technology and production. The province already exports its fuel cell and hydrogen technology to Asia, Europe, and the United States.

By 2050, British Columbia could earn $2.5 billion in annual gross domestic product through the use and export of hydrogen. The hydrogen sector could potentially create 3,750 new jobs by 2050.

The proposed Aspen BC, Solar Project, in partnership with the Lower Nicola Indian Band, could produce 200 gigawatts (GW) of power per year, which is enough to power 20,000 homes annually, and store up to 100 MW of energy each day. The project will create job opportunities for local communities and Indigenous Nations.

Keeping electricity affordable

The Government of Canada is supporting households with their energy switching, through home retrofit programs, zero-emission vehicles purchase incentives and more, to help Canadians save on their energy bills.

$40 billion in new Government of Canada measures to meet the growing demand for electricity can minimize future cost impacts being passed down to British Columbians.

The Canada Greener Homes Grant program has already helped over 9,500 British Columbians make their homes more energy efficient.

The CleanBC Better Homes and Home Renovation Rebate Program offers up to $6,000 in rebates to help you improve your home’s energy efficiency through select upgrades.

BC Hydro’s Home Renovation Rebate Program offers up to $10,000 in rebates to help make your home more energy efficient.

Recent announcements

In April 2022, $300 million of federal clean energy funding was directed to the Wah-ila-toos partnership for clean energy projects in Indigenous, rural and remote communities in Canada.

In July 2022, the Government of Canada announced $3.95 million in funding for Shell Canada to install 79 electric vehicle (EV) chargers across 37 Shell retail locations along critical corridors between Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

In November 2022, the Government of Canada invested $4 million in four BC hydrogen refueling stations.

In April 2023, the federal government announced a joint investment of $32.7 million for three decarbonization projects in British Columbia.

Through the Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways program, the Government of Canada has invested almost $3 million to the Energy Peers in Indigenous Communities Network, which is a capacity-building program designed to encourage Indigenous leadership in renewable energy and electrification sectors across BC.

The Government of Canada has invested over $21.6 million in funding to 14 Indigenous communities to help implement clean energy projects with three communities located in BC.