Fossil fuels opponents caught in a time warp

Editorial
Vancouver Sun
25-Mar-2006

The most recent call by B.C. Hydro for new sources of electricity has attracted a proposal for a coal-fired electrical generating plant in northeastern British Columbia. If nothing else, the bid demonstrates the resilient optimism of Hillsborough Resources, which has pitched similar projects twice before since 2002, only to have them rejected for failing to conform to requirements of the tender.

It might be different this time because B.C. Hydro hasn't put up any roadblocks to coal-fired plants in its request for proposals to produce 2,500 gigawatt hours of "firm" energy to help wean B.C. from imported power. This will be a huge undertaking; that's the amount of electricity 250,000 homes would consume in a year.

That B.C. Hydro would even entertain the idea of buying electricity from a coal-fired plant will likely raise the shrill chorus of condemnation that accompanies every initiative to increase B.C.'s energy production, whether it's coal, natural gas or offshore oil.

But the foes of fossil fuels are caught in a time warp. This is not Dickens' London. Technology is actively addressing the environmental challenges of coal and has helped to dramatically cut emissions to a level commensurate with other industrial plants. Sharp reductions in particulate matter, sulphur and nitrogen have largely been realized and increasing thermal efficiency is cutting the volume of carbon dioxide and other emissions per unit of electricity generated. As the capture and sequestration of CO2 becomes economic and gasification of coal becomes widespread, "zero-emissions" coal technology will soon make the environmental debate moot.

Besides, B.C. has few options. There are not many more rivers to harness for hydroelectric power and, even if there were, flooding valuable land may be an unacceptable social and environmental cost. A natural gas-fired power plant was abandoned under public protest and soaring gas prices.

Coal is by far the cheapest and most plentiful fossil fuel, with more than eight billion tonnes of proven Canadian reserves. Nearly 40 per cent of the world's electricity is generated from coal. To campaign against its use is foolish.

At the same time, B.C. Hydro must ensure that any coal-fired plant not only deliver a cost-effective supply of electricity but meet stringent emissions standards in doing so. It should put in place a system to monitor the supplier's environmental performance and retain the authority to demand remedial action if deficiencies are discovered.

If B.C. Hydro clearly sets out its requirements at the getgo and resists the temptation to change the rules of the game midstream, as it has too often in the past, the province may soon be able to reclaim its position as a net exporter of electricity.

With a secure supply of affordable electricity, B.C. should be able to prolong the economic growth that has made this province the envy of the nation and one of the best places in the world to live.