BC Hydro to tweak Campbell River water flows

Grant Warkentin
Campbell River Mirror
29 December 2004

BC Hydro is determined to make a power plant at Duke Point part of its long-term plan to power Vancouver Island.

"It's a balance of green energy, Powersmart and Duke Point," Tom Veary of BC Hydro told council Monday night.

Veary said BC Hydro is banking that the latest incarnation of its plan to put a natural gas-fired power plant at Duke Point in Nanaimo will be accepted by the BC Utilities Commission in the new year. He said the plant, coupled with ongoing Powersmart programs and green energy projects, such as the wind farm proposed for Holberg, will help make sure there is enough electricity to keep the lights on in Vancouver Island homes.

Veary said the utility has the responsibility to make sure there will be enough power for Vancouver Island in three-four years, when supply and demand are estimated to be too close for comfort. Right now, 60 per cent of Vancouver Island's power supply comes from underwater cables linked to the Mainland. About 20 per cent comes from hydroelectric generation, such as the John Hart Dam near Campbell River, and about 10 per cent comes from the Island Cogeneration plant by the Elk Falls mill.

The Duke Point power plant would be similar to the Campbell River cogen plant, generating just over 250 megawatts of electricity.

Veary said that even if the Duke Point project, now proposed to be built by an Alberta company instead of BC Hydro, is rejected, BC Hydro will still be able to keep the Island powered.

"We will do it - it's just a matter of how we do it," Veary said, explaining that the utility has several contingency plans in place to make sure the Island's electricity supply is planned for, no matter what happens. That could include replacing sets of underwater cables, more Powersmart promotions and more green energy projects.

Veary was excited about the possibilities northern Vancouver Island holds for green power generation, from the Holberg wind farm to tidal power projects to micro-hydroelectric power generation.

He suggested that in a decade or two, Vancouver Island could possibly produce more power than it uses if it keeps on with green energy projects.

Veary said the utility plans to introduce programs to offset greenhouse gas emissions caused by projects such as the Duke Point power plant.

That could include planting more trees, incentives to help corporations become more efficient or offering credits and even cash for communities to dedicate green spaces as carbon sinks, areas permanently dedicated to absorbing greenhouse gas emissions and producing oxygen.

Near Campbell River, BC Hydro plans to tweak the way it generates power. A new water use plan, expected to receive final approval in March or April, details how BC Hydro should use the Campbell River water system to generate hydroelectric power at its three dams between Gold River and Campbell River.

The plan will slightly increase the water flows through the John Hart Dam, allowing the utility to generate a bit more electricity as well as make river access easier for fish.

The slightly increased flows will allow fish better access to the river system. BC Hydro also plans to increase flows in the Elk Canyon and plans to release water in pulses, to mimic the actions of a natural river.

Veary said flows at the dam could increase in the next couple of weeks - local reservoirs are at a higher level than normal for this time of year.

He said that's unusual, considering the dry summer kept reservoirs at lower levels than normal this summer and fall.