Upnit Power

The City of Port Alberni is a minority partner in the Upnit Power Corporation, a 6.5 mega watt (MW), run-of-river, hydroelectric project on China Creek, located on the outskirts of the Port Alberni City boundaries. During peak operation the plant produces enough electricity to power 6000 homes. The project went into operation in December of 2005 and had a total cost of approximately $14 million.

The Ownership Structure is as follows:

Hupacasath First Nation – 72.5%
Synex Energy Resources Ltd. – 12.5%
Ucluelet First Nation – 10%
City of Port Alberni – 5%

The Upnit Power project provides a number of important benefits, including further development and diversification of the local economy, adding to the electricity supply on Vancouver Island (26 gigawatt-hours of electricity/year) and providing revenue to the City of Port Alberni and other partners.