British Columbia and BC Hydro advance first ‘major’ BESS in Canadian province

July 22, 2026

Announced 20 July, BC Hydro and the province are launching a procurement process for a BESS project that will deliver “at least 100MW of battery storage capacity,” on Vancouver Island. Image: Pexels/ Luke Lawreszuk

Canadian electric utility BC Hydro and the province of British Columbia (BC) are advancing the first major batteray energy storage system (BESS) project in the province.

Announced 20 July, BC Hydro and the province are launching a procurement process for a BESS project that will deliver “at least 100MW of battery storage capacity,” on Vancouver Island.

On Thursday, 30 July 2026, BC Hydro said it will issue a request for supplier qualifications to identify and pre-qualify experienced companies capable of designing and delivering the project.