The Site C Saga: How Billions Bloomed, and BC Hydro's Candid Admission

Ah, Site C. It's a name that, for many British Columbians, has become synonymous with soaring budgets and a kind of infrastructural grandiosity. For years, this hydroelectric dam project has dominated headlines, and not always for the best reasons. Now, in a remarkably candid moment, BC Hydro, the Crown corporation at the heart of it all, has finally conceded what many have long suspected: they truly could have done more to anticipate the colossal cost overruns.

Think about it. We're talking about a project initially pegged at $8.3 billion – a hefty sum, certainly, but one that felt, perhaps, within the realm of the imaginable. But then, as often happens with undertakings of this magnitude, things began to… well, bloat. And bloat they did, right up to an eye-watering $16 billion. That's nearly double the original estimate, a sum that can make anyone's eyes widen, particularly those of taxpayers footing the bill.

So, what went wrong, or rather, what wasn't quite anticipated? According to BC Hydro CEO Chris O'Riley, a big chunk of it boils down to the very ground beneath the project. “In retrospect,” he mused, with what one might imagine was a slight sigh, “we probably should have anticipated more on the geotechnical side.” That’s a polite way of saying the earth itself threw some rather expensive curveballs, especially on the project's right bank, issues that were really brought to light back in 2017.

But, and here's where the narrative gets a bit more layered, it wasn't just the stubborn geology. The past few years, let’s be honest, have been a wild ride for everyone, and massive infrastructure projects are certainly no exception. The COVID-19 pandemic, with its brutal disruptions to supply chains and workforce availability, undeniably played its part. Suddenly, getting crucial materials or enough hands on deck became a Herculean task, adding layers of expense and delay no one could have truly foreseen in 2010 when the project was first envisioned.

Still, the admission that more could have been done, particularly on the 'anticipated' side, feels significant. It’s a learning moment, you could say, for an organization that manages such critical public assets. An Independent Project Assurance Board (IPAB), brought in precisely to offer a fresh pair of eyes in 2019, certainly didn't pull any punches. Their first report in 2020 highlighted some rather serious concerns, paving the way for then-Premier John Horgan to call for an independent review himself. It was clear even then that this wasn't just a minor hiccup; it was a fundamental re-evaluation of how things were progressing.

Despite the financial maelstrom, the dam is still slated for completion by 2025. And while it promises clean energy for generations, one can’t help but ponder the sheer scale of the investment. It’s B.C.'s largest public infrastructure project, a testament to ambition and, perhaps, a stark lesson in the unpredictable nature of large-scale engineering and, well, earth itself. The big question now, for many, is what accountability looks like, and what lessons will genuinely stick for the next monumental undertaking. Because, for once, a public utility is admitting they might not have had all the answers upfront. And that, in itself, is something worth noting.