B.C. Hydro evaluating gas-fired power plants

Charlie Smith
Georgia Straight
June 12, 2008

As B.C. Hydro prepares to release its long-term energy strategy, a document suggests that the Crown utility is considering securing electricity from natural-gas-fired power plants. According to a presentation from a B.C. Hydro workshop held on April 25 at the Sutton Place Hotel in Vancouver, there is a 24.8 percent “relative likelihood” that three natural-gas-fired plants will be built: a 494-megawatt plant at Kelly Lake near Clinton scheduled in 2016; a 243-megawatt plant at the same location in 2024; and a 243-megawatt plant somewhere on Vancouver Island in 2025.

However, B.C. Hydro spokesperson Susan Danard told the Georgia Straight that no new electricity will be generated in natural-gas-fired plants in B.C. “In no way is B.C. Hydro even contemplating any new gas-fired generation,” she claimed. “That’s not us.”

These types of plants emit millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases, which have been linked to climate change. When asked if B.C. Hydro might buy electricity from independent power producers who burn natural gas, Danard replied, “I don’t believe that’s correct either because just today, actually, coincidentally we launched our clean call [for electricity from independent power producers].…That is the direction we’re going in…we’re looking at clean power projects: hydro, wind, solar, geothermal energy—proven technologies that have to meet the provincial guidelines for cleaner renewable energy. We’re not looking at purchasing or building gas-fired generation at this point.”