The control room of the Akolkolex hydroelectric plant, near Revelstoke in British Columbia,Canada, was damaged on 4 June 2001, due to fire caused by a lightning strike.

Akolkolex, a 20MW run-of-river plant on the Akolkolex river, is owned by Calgary-based Canadian Hydro Developers(CHD). CHD management is currently assessing the extent of the damage. A claim will be made under the Corporation’s insurance policies, which covers both property damage and business interruption.

All of Canadian Hydro’s other plants continue in good operating condition, while construction is proceeding well at the 30MW Pingston hydro project.

CHD has also increased its revenue for the first quarter of 2001, compared with the same period in 2000. The increase was attributed to higher price of electricity in the energy market.