BC Hydro's latest call for new renewable power-generation projects won't include Houston.
A 5,000-acre wind farm project 鈥� proposed about 20 kilometres southeast of the Bulkley Valley community 鈥� was not issued a purchase agreement by BC Hydro, according to the Crown corporation's Call for Power Request for Proposals (RFP) results released in December 2024.
The Houston-area proposal, Ecoener Energie Canada's Klo Site Wind Project, was one of 11 province-wide to miss the cut.
BC Hydro in April 2024 issued its first call for power to the private sector in 15 years, requesting proposals for 3,000 gigawatt hours per year as part of its plan to meet provincial energy needs.
Nine proposals, including one near Prince George, were ultimately chosen as the winners.
BC Hydro 鈥� while waiving the need for environmental assessments 鈥� awarded the projects with 30-year electricity purchase agreements.
鈥淣ow that the projects have been selected, we鈥檙e going to work together with BC Hydro, First Nations and proponents to get these projects built quickly, responsibly and efficiently, and get those turbines spinning," said Adrian Dix, minister of energy and climate solutions.
The Klo Site Wind Project near Houston, meanwhile, is in the "investigative stage," according to Chinnok Power's website.
"An investigative licence for wind energy assessment has been issued by the B.C. Government," it reads.
The project's stakeholders in the area include First Nations and the communities of Houston and Topley.
Wind farm proposals jolted into the spotlight at Houston council's meeting on Dec. 3, when a member of the public asked district politicians about the status of one on Equity Road, located near the Klo Site Wind Project.
No response was provided, per the district's rules during its formal meetings.
"Council as a rule does not provide responses to public input sessions," District of Houston corporate officer Karen Hogstead said in an email.
Documented minutes from council's meeting indicate that a study had previously been completed on a proposed wind farm on Equity Road, however, Hogstead said the district doesn't have any records of it.
