Kenney Dam
| Kenney Dam | |
|---|---|
| Location | Kemano, British Columbia, Canada |
| Coordinates | 53°34′45″N 124°57′0″W / 53.57917°N 124.95000°WCoordinates: 53°34′45″N 124°57′0″W / 53.57917°N 124.95000°W |
| Opening date | 1954 |
| Owner(s) | Rio Tinto Alcan |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Rockfill |
| Impounds | Nechako River |
| Height | 97 m (318 ft) |
| Length | 457 m (1,499 ft) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Nechako Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 32.7 km3 (26,500,000 acre·ft) |
| Power station | |
| Turbines | 8 × 112 MW |
| Installed capacity | 890 MW |
The Kenney Dam is a rock-filled hydroelectric dam on the Nechako River in northwestern British Columbia, built in the early 1950s. The impoundment of water behind the dam forms the Nechako Reservoir, which is also commonly known as the Ootsa Lake Reservoir. The dam was constructed to power an aluminum smelter in Kitimat, British Columbia by Alcan (now Rio Tinto Alcan), although in the late 1980s the company increased their economic activity by selling excess electricity across North America. The development of the dam caused various environmental problems along with the displacement of the Cheslatta T'En First Nation, whose traditional land was flooded.
Following the Second World War, the Canadian government invited the Aluminum Company of Canada (Alcan) to explore the potential of various sites around the country for hydroelectric power generation. British Columbia was particularly interested in attracting the aluminum industry. Premier Byron Johnson introduced special legislation authorizing the provincial cabinet to do what it thought necessary to establish a new aluminum industry in BC. For its part, Alcan was concerned with locating its energy-intensive aluminum smelters in close proximity to an inexpensive source of hydroelectric power.Chilko Lake in the Chilcotin region was the original proposed site for the Kenney Dam, but due to preliminary calculations by Fisheries and Oceans Canada showing that the Chilko Lake held up to three-quarters of the Fraser River's total sockeye salmon spawned in the region, the provincial government eliminated the site from the proposal. In 1948, following feasibility studies, Alcan decided to pursue a project on the Nechako River to power a large aluminum smelter to be located at the new townsite of Kitimat. A public opinion poll taken in 1949 indicated that an overwhelming majority of British Columbians supported the Alcan's plans for hydroelectric development on the Nechako. Support was not universal, however: for example, the International Pacific Salmon Fisheries Commission objected to the use of a salmon river for power.
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