GSXCCC: Duke Point Power plant cancelled

GSX Concerned Citizens Coalition
304 - 733 Johnson Street, Victoria, BC, V8W 3C7
Telephone (250) 381-4463
Email: thackney@island.net Website: www.sqwalk.com

For Immediate Release: June 17, 2005

Duke Point Power plant cancelled

For Immediate Release: June 17, 2005
Duke Point Power plant cancelled

Victoria – The GSX Concerned Citizens Coalition and its allies are celebrating BC Hydro's announcement that it will cancel the electricity purchase agreement with Duke Point Power Limited.

"We commend BC Hydro for cancelling the Duke Point power project," said coalition president Tom Hackney. "It's hard to cancel a committed project, but this is the right move. With mounting concerns about global climate change, BC should not be building new fossil fuel electricity generation."

"We looked carefully at the evidence in three regulatory reviews over five years," said Steve Miller, coalition vice-president. "BC Hydro overstated the demand for electricity on the Island and they overstated the risk of blackouts. We are confident the Island's supply will remain secure with the expected October 2008 installation of the new sub-sea cables linking us to mainland supply."

"The Duke Point plant and its earlier incarnations were economically indefensible," said Arthur Caldicott, Director. "Natural gas supplies are in crisis in North America and we can expect rising and volatile gas prices. We have abundant sustainable energy resources in BC, and they are not subject to fuel price fluctuations."

The GSX Concerned Citizens Coalition formed in 2000, with dozens of individual members and member groups including the Sierra Club of Canada, BC Chapter, the Georgia Strait Alliance, the Council of Canadians (Victoria, Cowichan and Mid-Island Chapters), and others.

The Coalition participated in the BC Utilities Commission's January 2005 review of the Duke Point Power Electricity Purchase Agreement. When the Commission approved the purchase agreement, on 17 February, the Coalition, along with the BC Sustainable Energy Association and Society Promoting Environmental Conservation filed with the BC Court of Appeal for leave to appeal the decision. The industry consumer group, Joint Industry Electricity Steering Committee also filed an appeal.

On 14 June, the BC Court of Appeal granted leave to appeal the decision on grounds that the Commission may have inappropriately kept some of the relevant information in the review confidential. Following this, the Board of Directors of BC Hydro decided to abandon the project.

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For further information, contact:
Arthur Caldicott – (250) 743-5551
Peter Ronald – (250) 361-3621

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