Whatshan — Canada

Whatshan is a 50 MW hydro power plant in British Columbia, Canada. It is operated by BC Hydro. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 50k homes (estimated). It ranks #425 of 1,210 Canada power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1971, it is around 55 years old — an older, legacy facility. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 52.8% of Canada's electricity; the national grid averages 191 gCO₂/kWh (77.0% low-carbon) (2025).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id CAN0008551.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100001022938; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 50 MW, Whatshan is well above the median hydro plant in Canada (12 MW). Technically it is described as conventional storage. Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Key facts

Share of Canada hydro capacity

less than 0.1% of 81,037 MW across 556 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

119 of 189 dated hydro plants in Canada are older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Canada

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by BC Hydro. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a subarctic (boreal) climate (Köppen Dfc) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 49.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Monthly mean temperature

Heating degree-days here run 144% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 98/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #162 largest hydro power plant of 556 in Canada by capacity.

Canada has 556 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 81,037 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• South Slocan · Hydro · 54 MW · British Columbia
• Kootenay Canal · Hydro · 580 MW · British Columbia
• Lower Bonnington · Hydro · 54 MW · British Columbia
• Corra Linn · Hydro · 51 MW · British Columbia
• Upper Bonnington · Hydro · 65 MW · British Columbia
• Bonnington Falls · Hydro · 16.2 MW · British Columbia

Location

Coordinates 49.9106, -118.0718 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions