A benefit/cost analysis of BC Hydro's Burrard Thermal Generating Plant was
released on April 17, 2001. A consulting team led by Dr. Marvin Shaffer gave
presentations to government technical and communications staff. The
70-page report shows 2001/02 net income impact of Burrard Thermal is $1
billion, and between $0.5 B and $1B for the 2002-2020 period. The report
concludes that Burrard Thermal should not be constrained and that
purchasing offsets or other pollution mitigation measures is in the best
interest of the province. The report is available at:
http://www.sqwalk.com/BurrardReport.pdf
On April 20, 2001, Paul Wieringa, then of the Crown Corporate Secretariat
(CCA) gave a tele-conference presentation on the Burrard report to the Lower
Fraser Valley Air Quality Coordinating
Committee (MELP, GVRD, Environment
Canada).
At the request of BC Hydro, CCS was exploring options to delay the
decommissioning of the Keogh Generating Station near Port Hardy and allow
it to operate more than the currently-permitted 200 hours per year in
back-up mode. This diesel plant, originally constructed to provide local
back-up, could contribute in excess of $70 million to BC Hydro's net
income for 2001/02, given low water conditions and the cost of alternate
supply from the high priced power markets.