Synex International

Synex International Inc. was a Vancouver, British Columbia-based Canadian company active in renewable energy development and engineering services. The company traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol SXI from 1987, according to the referenced encyclopedia account. Its operations were organized through two wholly owned subsidiaries: Synex Energy Resources Ltd., which formed the Energy Division, and Sigma Engineering Ltd., which formed the Engineering Division. The Energy Division concentrated on small hydroelectric projects in British Columbia. Its portfolio included both operating facilities and projects at various stages of development. Mears Creek, a 4 MW hydro project with estimated annual generation of 20 GWh, received a 20-year power purchase agreement from BC Hydro in 2001. Construction began in June 2003 and the facility entered service in January 2004. Synex reported a capital cost of approximately C$6.6 million in its 2004 annual report. Cypress Creek was a 3 MW hydro project that initially received a BC Hydro power purchase agreement in 2003. It became operational in July 2009 and was described as the first project to use BC Hydro’s Standing Offer Program. Its revenues were also supplemented by the Canadian government’s ecoENERGY incentive, identified in the reference material as a C$10-per-MWh subsidy. Synex also pursued additional British Columbia hydro developments. Barr Creek Hydro was a 4 MW project expected to produce approximately 15 GWh annually. It received a power purchase agreement through BC Hydro’s 2006 Open Call for Power, qualified for the ecoENERGY grant, and entered construction preparation in 2010. Synex announced that it owned 90% of Barr Creek LP, while the Ehattshat First Nation held the remaining 10% and had an option to acquire an additional interest. McKelvie Creek and Victoria Lake were further development projects, although both faced delays, regulatory issues, cost pressures, or a lack of subsequent public updates in the supplied material. The company’s second principal business was engineering, conducted through Sigma Engineering Ltd. The available reference does not provide enough detail to describe Sigma’s specific markets, contracts, or current activities. Likewise, the supplied material does not establish Synex International’s present corporate status, ownership, website, leadership, or whether all of the described projects remain active. The company should therefore be treated as a historically documented Canadian energy and engineering enterprise rather than assumed to be an active current brand.

Synex International developed as a Canadian company combining renewable-energy project development with engineering services. Its documented corporate structure consisted of two wholly owned subsidiaries. Synex Energy Resources Ltd. managed the Energy Division, while Sigma Engineering Ltd. operated the Engineering Division. The company was based in Vancouver and had traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange since 1987 under the symbol SXI. The company’s best-documented activities involved small hydroelectric generation in British Columbia. Its development model relied on securing long-term electricity purchase agreements from BC Hydro, constructing relatively small generation facilities, and supplementing project economics through available public incentive programs. This placed Synex within the independent-power-producer segment of the British Columbia electricity market. Mears Creek was the first clearly documented operating project in the supplied material. BC Hydro awarded it a 20-year power purchase agreement in 2001. Construction started in June 2003, and the 4 MW facility was commissioned in January 2004. Synex’s 2004 annual report placed the project’s capital cost at approximately C$6.6 million and estimated annual generation at 20 GWh. Cypress Creek followed a separate development path. The 3 MW project received a BC Hydro power purchase agreement in 2003 but did not begin operating until July 2009. It became the first project described as taking advantage of BC Hydro’s Standing Offer Program. In addition to power-sale revenue, the project benefited from the federal ecoENERGY subsidy identified in the reference material as C$10 per MWh. Synex expanded its development pipeline through BC Hydro’s 2006 Open Call for Power. Barr Creek Hydro, a 4 MW project expected to generate 15 GWh annually, received a purchase agreement through that process and later qualified for the ecoENERGY grant. Construction activity began with access roads in May 2010. The ownership arrangement also reflected an Indigenous partnership: Synex disclosed a 90% interest in Barr Creek LP, while the Ehattshat First Nation held 10% and had an option to buy an additional 10%. Other projects encountered more difficulty. McKelvie Creek, planned at 3.4 MW and approximately 14 GWh per year, was stalled in 2007 after grid-interconnection costs increased projected capital expenditure from roughly C$10 million to C$15 million. Synex subsequently expected to seek a new agreement through BC Hydro’s Standing Offer Program, but projects that had already received agreements in the 2006 and 2008 call processes were reportedly excluded from that program. Victoria Lake, a proposed 9.5 MW facility near Port Alice with estimated output of 39 GWh annually, also received a 2006 Open Call for Power agreement. Regulatory work was still progressing in 2009, but the supplied material records no later development. The available sources do not establish the company’s later corporate history, current operations, leadership, ownership, or the ultimate disposition of each project. Accordingly, this history documents Synex International’s known structure and British Columbia hydroelectric portfolio without inferring that the company or its projects remain active today.

• 2010

  Barr Creek access-road construction begins

  [1]Synex Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  Construction preparation for Barr Creek started with access-road work, and Synex disclosed its ownership arrangement with the Ehattshat First Nation.

• 2009

  Cypress Creek begins operation

  [1]Synex Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  The 3 MW Cypress Creek hydro project became operational in July and used BC Hydro’s Standing Offer Program.

• 2006

  Projects selected in BC Hydro power call

  [1]Synex Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  Synex received agreements for projects including Barr Creek, McKelvie Creek, and Victoria Lake through BC Hydro’s 2006 Open Call for Power.

• 2004

  Mears Creek commissioned

  [1]Synex Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  The 4 MW Mears Creek hydroelectric project entered operation in January.

• 2001

  Mears Creek receives a long-term power agreement

  [1]Synex Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  BC Hydro awarded the Mears Creek project a 20-year power purchase agreement.

• 1987

  Toronto Stock Exchange trading documented

  [1]Synex Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  Synex International was documented as trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol SXI from 1987.

A Canadian renewable-energy and engineering company centered on small hydroelectric generation and related project development in British Columbia.

• Hydroelectric power generation · 2004

  Mears Creek hydroelectric project

  A 4 MW small hydroelectric facility in British Columbia with estimated annual generation of 20 GWh. BC Hydro awarded the project a 20-year power purchase agreement in 2001. Construction began in June 2003 and the project was commissioned in January 2004. Synex reported capital expenditure of approximately C$6.6 million in its 2004 annual report.

• Hydroelectric power generation · 2009

  Cypress Creek hydroelectric project

  A 3 MW British Columbia hydroelectric project that received a BC Hydro power purchase agreement in 2003 and entered service in July 2009. It was described as the first Synex project to benefit from BC Hydro’s Standing Offer Program. Project revenue was also supplemented by the federal ecoENERGY incentive identified in the source material as C$10 per MWh.

• Hydroelectric power development

  Barr Creek Hydro

  A planned 4 MW hydroelectric project with estimated annual generation of 15 GWh. It received a power purchase agreement through BC Hydro’s 2006 Open Call for Power and qualified for the ecoENERGY grant. Access-road construction began in May 2010. Synex disclosed a 90% ownership interest in Barr Creek LP, with the Ehattshat First Nation holding 10% and having an option to acquire an additional 10%.

• Hydroelectric power development

  McKelvie Creek hydroelectric project

  A proposed 3.4 MW hydroelectric project estimated to produce 14 GWh annually. Although it received a power purchase agreement through BC Hydro’s 2006 process, development was stalled in 2007 after higher-than-expected grid-interconnection costs increased projected capital expenditure from approximately C$10 million to C$15 million. Later attempts to place the project in the Standing Offer Program were affected by eligibility restrictions.

• Hydroelectric power development

  Victoria Lake hydroelectric project

  A proposed 9.5 MW project near Port Alice, British Columbia, with estimated annual generation of 39 GWh and projected capital cost of approximately C$18 million. It was one of Synex’s projects selected in BC Hydro’s 2006 Open Call for Power. Regulatory work was reported as progressing in 2009, but the available material provides no later status update.

• Engineering

  Engineering services

  Engineering services were provided through wholly owned subsidiary Sigma Engineering Ltd., which formed Synex International’s Engineering Division. The supplied reference confirms the subsidiary and divisional structure but does not provide enough information to identify specific service lines, sectors, or contracts.

• 2007

  McKelvie Creek development pausedStrategy

  Background

  Grid-interconnection requirements raised the expected capital cost of the McKelvie Creek project from approximately C$10 million to C$15 million.

  Action taken

  Synex stalled development and later considered seeking a new power purchase agreement through BC Hydro’s Standing Offer Program.

  Aftermath

  The project’s eligibility was complicated by BC Hydro’s reported exclusion of projects that had already received agreements through the 2006 and 2008 call processes.

  Estimated capital cost. C$10 million → C$15 million (2007)

  Source

1. 1Synex Internationalen.wikipedia.org