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Mayor wants power plant: Port
Alberni's loss is Lake Cowichan's gain, says Jack Peake
Cowichan Mayor Jack Peake is chasing the Hydro generating station Port Alberni rejected last week. ``If somebody else isn't interested, we certainly are,'' Peake said. ``You bet we are.'' Port Alberni city council voted 6-1 last week against BC Hydro's application to rezone a city property to build a 265-megawatt gas-fired electrical plant. Councillors said they'd be interested in helping Hydro find a different site within the Alberni Valley but the utility has decided to look elsewhere. ``We looked at all of the sites (Port Alberni) recommended and Tebo Avenue was definitely the best site,'' said Hydro spokesperson Ted Olynyk. ``We'll be starting with a clean sheet on Monday and preparing to meet with the Island's civic leaders.'' There's always a trade-off, said Olynyk, but the ideal site would be close to transmission lines and gas and water supplies and have a low risk of soil liquification during an earthquake or of being damaged by a tsunami. Peake is suggesting the utility and the Cowichan Valley Regional District consider building a gas plant and garbage incinerator side-by-side at the Meade Creek Industrial Site, about halfway between Youbou and Lake Cowichan. A long-time advocate of a state-of-the-art incinerator as the solution to the CVRD's garbage disposal difficulties, Peake says building one next to a power generator would be mutually beneficial because it could produce additional electricity to feed into Hydro's power grid. Peake believes the Meade Creek location would satisfy most of Hydro's site requirements and doesn't think the current lack of a natural gas pipeline to the Lake should be a major stumbling block. A pipeline could easily be laid along the CP Rail right-of-way to Lake Cowichan, he said, right alongside the fibre-optic transmission line already in the ground there. Peake said he has discussed the idea casually with other CVRD directors and has received considerable support to investigate the idea further. But he knows he'll face staunch opposition from some board members, particularly Cobble Hill director Richard Hughes. Hughes has championed the cause of Cobble Hill residents who object to Hydro routing its proposed Georgia Strait Crossing (GSX) pipeline through their community on its way to connect to the existing Island pipeline west of Shawnigan Lake. Any new generation plant would be useless without a new pipeline in place to supply it with the gas it needs to generate power. ``It's too easy to just look at the location of gas plants and pipelines,'' Hughes said. ``We have to look at the bigger picture of energy for the Island.'' Hughes advocates more investment in energy conservation initiatives and ``green'' electricity generation methods, like wind power and micro-hydro. Hydro could better serve the Island by replacing sub-marine cables from the Mainland that provide 80 per cent of the Island's power and will soon be decommissioned, he said. ``Gas is really a negative thing for the Island economy,'' Hughes said. ``It brings price fluctuations, destabilization and the Americanization of our energy components.'' BC Hydro says the Island economy could suffer considerably if a new gas plant isn't built soon. Without an increased energy supply, the utility says, the Island will likely face power shortages by 2004, resulting in mandatory power restrictions. In order to prevent such a shortage, says Hydro, construction on a new generation plant needs to begin within a year or so. That prediction could have dire consequences for the forest industry and in particular NorskeCanada, the Island's leading energy consumer. Norske currently spends about $150 million per year to power its Island mills, including pulp and paper operations in Crofton. ``We're concerned we might be singled out to cover off the (electrical) shortfall,'' said Dennis Fitzgerald of NorskeCanada. ``Potentially it could have serious production consequences -- possibly the laying off of employees.'' Hughes and the anti-pipeline forces he supports don't believe Hydro's forecast. With the current state of the economy, he said, the Island's electricity usage is more likely to drop. ``It's a `threat and rescue' tactic (Hydro) is using and it makes no sense whatsoever,'' Hughes said. ``With all these mills shutting down, the demand is probably dropping.'' The Cobble Hill director sympathizes with Peake's desire to boost the flagging Lake Cowichan economy by bringing new industry to the area but doubts residents will accept his proposal. ``It's certainly understandable that he wants to bring in jobs and investment,'' Hughes said. ``But people will reject it when they look at it more closely.'' Olynyk is convinced the National Energy Board will approve Hydro's application to construct the GSX pipeline after a review process concludes next Spring. Hydro hopes to have the site for a new plant nailed down by then, he said. The utility's engineers will certainly consider Peake's proposal to locate a new plant near Lake Cowichan, he said. ``Obviously we're behind the eight-ball a bit and on a pretty tight timeline,'' he said. ``(Lake Cowichan) is a possibility, nothing's been ruled out.'' ---END--- |