Streamline
Hydro Power

Hydropower

Streamline Environmental Consulting Ltd. provides professional biological consulting services to support the independent hydropower industry in British Columbia. We provide the environmental services required to support the planning, permitting and operation of independent hydropower projects. Since 2002 Streamline has provided these services to more than 30 independent hydropower projects, several of which have obtained water licenses, land tenure and energy purchase agreements and are now generating electricity.

Streamline has a thorough understanding of the processes and requirements to obtain a water license and land tenure for independent hydropower projects. Working with project management consultant Barkley Project Group, we have conducted feasibility studies for numerous small (up to 20 MW) hydropower projects. This entails optimizing project general arrangements, including determining suitable hydropower streams, locating intakes, powerhouses, transmission lines and roads, and estimating the installed capacity and annual energy production potential.

The initial stages of project feasibility typically include sampling to confirm whether fish are present in the diversion reach. Baseline ecological surveys are undertaken to identify wildlife and habitat values, and identify environmental conditions or values that need to be considered in the design of project general arrangements. Streamline conducts instream flow incremental methodology (IFIM) studies in accordance with Provincial guidelines and standards. The IFIM studies are used to determine the instream flow requirement (IFR), which is the flow that needs to be maintained in the diversion reach to maintain aquatic productivity. This is a key step in project planning, as it determines the timing and amount of water available for hydropower generation. Streamline provides the following key services to support hydropower project development: