John Hart Dam


The John Hart Dam is one of three hydroelectric dams on the Campbell River, located on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. The dam is located at the outflow of John Hart Lake. The John Hart Generating Station is located nearby.

Original Generating Station

The BC Power Commission built the first generating station in 1947, it included above ground wood stave penstocks and six turbine-generator units for a total capacity of 126 MW.

Powerhouse Replacement

Due to seismic risks, a 68-year-old facility and lower than optimal power generation, in 2014 contracts were awarded to SNC-Lavalin to design and build a generating station and two new 2 km long, six meter penstocks. The new penstocks and powerhouse are located underground. The project included the decommissioning of the old facility in conjunction with the construction and commissioning of the new facility. The 1.1 billion dollar project was completed in 2018. The new powerhouse as a slightly larger capacity at 132.2 megawatts.