Wind farms to power B.C.'s energy sovereignty: Dix

The minister responsible for energy and climate change solutions in British Columbia says four new wind farms will strengthen the province's energy sovereignty at a time of rising costs and uncertainty.

Adrian Dix said three projects in the province's northern region and one near West Kelowna, B.C., will not only generate enough electricity to power 350,000 homes but also keep energy affordable, while also drawing $4.3 billion in private investment. 

"These are all dramatic major projects," he said at a news conference, where he was also joined by Charlotte Mitha, president and CEO of BC Hydro, and legislator George Anderson.

The minister said conflicts including Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the war between Iran and the United States have profoundly impacted energy markets.

"Just to put it in context, there are countries in the world, that have declared Wednesday a national holiday to save electricity," Dix said of the conflict in the Middle East.

"There are countries around the world that have reduced the school week to save electricity."

Such conditions, he said, demand that B.C. become more independent when it comes to energy and lean into renewable sources such as wind and solar.

"What's happening in the Middle East and elsewhere tells us that we've got to take care of business here," he said.

Trade tensions with the United States, he said, also require B.C. to diversify its natural gas exports toward other markets.

"We have got to lean in, because the conditions in the world are telling us that we, here in B.C., need to be more sovereign, and we are doing just that," he says.


Two of the new wind farms in northern B.C. are in Dawson Creek, while the third is in Taylor. The project near West Kelowna, B.C. is in the Nicola Valley. 

Dix says all four are majority-owned by First Nations, whose ownership stakes total $2 billion. They are set to open in 2032 and 2033.

A background document says the projects were awarded in a competitive evaluation of 14 proposals after BC Hydro launched a call for power in July 2025.

The province announced 10 wind and solar projects in 2025, and the government says all 14 clean energy projects will generate enough power for about 850,000 homes. 

Dix framed the projects as "substantive, real projects," as the federal government and Alberta closed in on an agreement on industrial carbon pricing.

A source with knowledge of the discussions said the two governments were expected to announce an effective carbon price for Alberta of $130 per tonne of greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.

British Columbia Premier David Eby said Wednesday that this would give Alberta an unfair advantage, as it is below the current federal backstop of $170 per tonne by 2030.

The agreement stems from the energy pact Canada and Alberta reached last fall, which tied various climate policies to an Alberta oil pipeline to the West Coast.

Dix questioned this approach. 

"Either, they are providing a special deal in a competitive-nature market between provinces to one province … Or alternatively, they are negotiating the deal for the whole country with just one province. Either way doesn't seem the right approach."

— With files by Nick Murray in Ottawa

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 13, 2026.

By Wolfgang Depner | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.