How a WWII-Era Dam became a clean energy engine for the Columbia Basin
On the banks of the Kootenay River near Castlegar towers a piece of wartime infrastructure still
humming with life. Brilliant Dam, built in 1944 to fuel Canada’s World War II industrial effort, has evolved into one of the country’s most reliable sources of clean energy. Eight decades later, its story is one of transformation, resilience and lasting regional impact.
Looking Back: Power Forged in Wartime
As Allied forces battled the Axis powers in the 1940s, Canada’s industries were under pressure to deliver strategic materials. The Trail smelter, operated by Cominco (now Teck), played a key role by producing essential materials like lead, zinc and magnesium, all critical for munitions and aircraft production. The smelter even contributed heavy water, or deuterium oxide, to the U.S. Manhattan Project, becoming one
of the only large-scale producers in North America during the war. To meet growing energy demands, Cominco constructed the Brilliant Dam. The dam’s electricity bolstered smelter output and, by the 1950s, began powering Kimberley’s Sullivan Mine via an 86-kilometre transmission line—the longest of its kind in the world at the time.
Strategic Investment: Local Control
In 1996, a pivotal year in the dam’s legacy, the Trust and Columbia Power Corporation (Columbia Power) purchased the facility. The acquisition marked the start of a long-term, locally controlled investment in regional power assets. Today, Brilliant is one of four hydropower facilities jointly owned by the Trust and Columbia Power, forming the backbone of the region’s investment portfolio. The joint ownership structure—shared equally between the Trust and Columbia Power—ensures that income generated by the facility flows directly back to the region. For the Trust, that means funding for social, environmental and economic programs across the Basin. For Columbia Power, it includes paying dividends to the Province of BC and supporting environmental stewardship programs, community sponsorships and scholarships.
Expansion and Modernization
Following the acquisition, the new owners launched a $100 million upgrade program. Each of the dam’s four turbines underwent refurbishment between 2000 and 2002, boosting the facility’s capacity from 125 to 145 megawatts. According to Brandon Haney, the Trust’s Vice-President of Power Operations, the upgrades represented a 20-megawatt increase to capacity: “enough to power an additional 12,500 homes annually.”
Today, the dam produces 980 gigawatt hours annually, enough electricity to power nearly 100,000 homes. The enhancements also included concrete rehabilitation, seismic stabilization, spillway gate refurbishment and switchyard replacement. These improvements increased reliability and delivered environmental benefits. By directing more water through the turbines rather than over the spillway, the upgrades reduced Total Gas Pressure, a condition that can be harmful to fish and is similar to decompression sickness, or ‘the bends,’ in humans.
In 2007, the $205 million Brilliant Expansion Project added a second powerhouse downstream of the original dam. This project generated clean energy from water that would otherwise be spilled and contributed nearly $95 million to the local economy through wages and goods procurement. Of the 400 workers on the project, more than 85 per cent were locals.
Sustaining A Legacy, Powering the Future
Today, Brilliant Dam is recognized as one of Canada’s most reliable hydroelectric facilities, a status
affirmed by Navigant Consulting in 2014 and 2021. It remains jointly owned by Columbia Power and the Trust, with the Trust now responsible for asset management. Together with three other jointly owned hydropower facilities, Brilliant Dam is part of a diversified energy portfolio that generates revenue
to support Trust programming and benefits across the Basin.
Looking ahead, future improvements will help make the dam adapt in an era of climate uncertainty. Ongoing reinvestment in infrastructure will be critical to preserving the dam’s value and reliability for a stable, sustainable future in the Basin. From a wartime workhorse to a cornerstone of regional self reliance, Brilliant Dam is an enduring symbol of how past investments continue to power our future. More than a legacy asset, it reflects a shared commitment to clean energy and local prosperity.
