It's not easy building green power

MARK HUME
Globe and Mail
January 27, 2006

VANCOUVER -- In the rugged Coast Mountains north of Vancouver are a series of remote watersheds that have long promised the ultimate power-generation solution to British Columbia's growing need for electricity.

Short, fast rivers that plunge to the sea offer the opportunity to generate power through run-of-river projects that divert water into turbines, then return it to the spawning salmon downstream.

The area -- untapped until now because there is no road access -- has been named the "Green Power Corridor" by a Vancouver-based company, Plutonic Power Corporation, which has ambitious plans to build 12 hydro projects for about $1-billion.

But Plutonic Power's plans have run into a problem with a small native group that claims aboriginal title to the region.

The Klahoose First Nation, on Cortes Island near Campbell River, says it won't allow one of the key projects, on Montrose Creek, to go ahead because it is the last untouched wilderness in their territory.

"It's our last watershed," said Duane Hanson, chief of the Klahoose, whose traditional territory includes Desolation Sound and Toba Inlet, where the first phase of the power project is proposed.

"There are five or six watersheds in Toba Inlet, but all of them have been logged except for Montrose Creek . . . we want to see it protected."

The company last week applied for a provincial environmental assessment certificate, hoping for approval of generating stations on East Toba River and Montrose Creek, together with a 150-kilometre transmission line that would snake out of the area to link with BC Hydro's provincial power grid.

"There is a big project being proposed here. And we fully understand when we look at the economic benefits that there are opportunities for us," said Mr. Hanson, whose band has about 500 members, most living in Powell River or Vancouver.

"But Montrose Creek is our last wilderness area and we are looking at opportunities for cultural revitalization there," he said.

Donald McInnes, president of Plutonic Power Corp., said yesterday that Montrose Creek is a vital economic component. "The project financially is difficult if we just try to do it with the East Toba River portion . . . You need a certain amount of revenue [from power sales] to carry the cost of . . . building the transmission line," he said.

Mr. McInnes said one objection he's heard to Montrose Creek is that the project would mar the landscape. Toba Inlet, which includes Desolation Sound Marine Park at its entrance, is renowned for its beauty.

"We've said we think we can design this thing so that there really isn't very much, if any, negative visual impact on the view plane and therefore the eco-tourism pristine values can largely be preserved . . . we can do things by burying the power line, and building the powerhouse into the hill, almost like in a cave."

Mr. McInnes said he's hoping that the Klahoose will agree to work with Plutonic Power to overcome the differences the two parties have.

"I can't just drop the Montrose portion and do East Toba, and if there is a possibility of building Montrose in a way that is in harmony . . . that doesn't screw up whatever values they are trying to preserve, I think we can get around that. I'd like to see if we can."

Mr. McInnes said the project would generate 300 full-time jobs for three years, and the company is proposing a training program that would prepare native members for a wide range of positions. The Klahoose have also been offered an equity position in a company that would operate the power line and generating stations.

"I'm very convinced that we can enter into a relationship with the Klahoose that could end up being a model for sustainability and co-operation between business and first nations," Mr. McInnes said.

"Fundamentally, in my heart of hearts, I hope that a green energy project can be allowed to be created because right now in British Columbia we're going to import power to meet the need of one in every eight homes," he said.

The two projects together would generate enough electricity for 70,000 homes.