The massive Site C work camp near Fort St. John is getting a second life instead of heading to a landfill.

B.C. Hydro said Friday it will relocate most of the 1,700-person camp to house workers building the North Coast Transmission Line across northwest B.C.

B.C. Energy Minister Adrian Dix says the decision follows a year of pressure from local communities concerned the facility would be demolished and fill up the region's landfill.

"What to do with it was a significant question in particular for people in Fort St. John," Dix said.

"There was concern that too much of it was going to end up as some sort of landfill. That was a concern and we want to use it. It's an excellent facility that can be reused."