The northern British Columbia town of Atlin is now being powered by a First Nation-owned hydroelectricity plant, following more than two years of construction and weeks of tests.

Atlin's hydro plant was quietly put into service after it passed testing on April 1, allowing BC Hydro to shut down the town's diesel generators.

"Ever since then we've been powering the town without a blip," plant project manager Stuart Simpson told CBC News.

"People who live near the diesel generator find it kind of spooky — it's so silent over there now," he added with a chuckle.

While BC Hydro continues to control Atlin's electrical grid, the Taku River Tlingit First Nation, which owns the hydro plant, has secured a 25-year electricity purchase agreement with the utility.

"So all that money gets to stay in the community instead of leaking out of it, which is really beneficial for a small economy like [the one] Atlin has," Simpson said.

"The benefits to BC Hydro through purchasing power from us is that they will over time save a lot of money from not having to buy diesel anymore, as diesel escalates and goes up in price."

Simpson said the diesel plant will remain on standby, and it will be fired up every few months for a few hours to ensure it still works.

Previously, Atlin's diesel generators consumed about 3,300 to 4,000 litres of fuel per day to power the town. Simpson said the hydro plant will save Atlin about 4,500 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and 1.2 million to 1.5 million litres of fuel per year.

"A few days before, we saw a B-train pull in and fill up the tanks at the diesel plant," he said. "It's usually like one every week or 10 days, but this one's probably going to last for a few years."

A formal celebration of the hydro plant's launch is slated for May, when the snow melts.