British Columbia's Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Minister Blair Lekstrom confirmed following yesterday's throne speech that the province is looking to increase electricity exports.
“We're committed to a renewable energy industry,” said Lekstrom. “British Columbia has exported power for over 30 years, whether peak and non-peak loads. We're going to look at that. We think we have a bright future with electricity development in British Columbia.”
He stressed, however, that providing power for export is secondary to making B.C. electricity self-sufficient by 2016. “Our first priority, and I want to be very clear, is to meet our own electricity needs and then look beyond that to help others.”
Asked to what extent the province will be promoting an export-based renewable energy industry, Lekstrom said, “Working towards having it work for British Columbia, most definitely.”
Lekstrom's comments echoed the throne speech Lieutenant Governor Steven Point delivered on behalf of the government. “This government will capitalize on the world's desire and need for clean energy, for the benefit of all British Columbians,” the speech said.
The government will give “specific direction” to the B.C. Utilities Commission regarding the phasing out of the Burrard Thermal plant and a new task force will be appointed to “recommend a blueprint for maximizing British Columbia's clean power potential, including a principled, economically-viable and environmentally-sustainable export development policy.”
The BCUC cited the unused capacity of the Burrard Thermal plant in a July ruling that blocked BC Hydro from buying green energy from independent producers since it was unnecesary to meet B.C.'s needs.
The Liberal government and Lekstrom are finally admitting what's been obvious to critics since the introduction of the provincial energy plan in 2002, said Gwen Barlee, the Western Canada Wilderness Committee's policy director.
“It's been really obvious from 2002 to 2009 that it was going in that direction,” she said. “Now the truth's coming out. Of course all along it's been about export.”
WCWC is supportive of green energy, she said, but it makes no sense to export power without conditions on its end use. “We're doing it the wrong way in B.C.,” she said. “We can do green energy right in B.C.. I can't for the life of me understand why the government is screwing it up so badly.”
“It's appalling,” said John Horgan, the New Democratic Party's energy critic. B.C.'s creeks and rivers shouldn't be damaged to keep air conditioners running in California, he said.
Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.
Hmmm
Interesting how the same people crying for more social programmes and no service cuts advocate the suspension of the exports that pay for them. Just tax and spend but make sure you tax everyone but me. Even better is attach a label to someone (ie "neocon") and tax them.
Rafe's been right all along.
It hasn't been about needing more electric power for BC. It is all about BC Hydro buying ROR power at an inflated price so they can subsidize their friends. The rest of us pay for they cheap exports to the US by having our hydro costs increase to pay for the scam. Yeah Wilf that works for you in Wilfredland
Skywalker
If I recall your party opposed the creation of BC Hydro in the first place as well as the Columbia River project. It wanted to build coal fired plants in urban areas. Are you still in favour of that?
If we are indeed selling power to the USA at below costs, please supply evidence.
Utter Nonsense
"WCWC is supportive of green energy, she said, but it makes no sense to export power without conditions on its end use"
How in heaven's name could a utility be able to regulate how power on the grid be used? How could it, for example, make it impossible for power that goes into a customer's home to be used for an air conditioner? It is simply impossible.
I might add, I would like said WCWC spokesperson to go to Arizona and not use a/c.
Wilfred Laurier
Which party is currently proposing to build coal-fired power plants?
That's not what Skywalker wrote. He wrote:
Please try reading more carefully in the future.
Yeah Wilfred
It's the fault of those NDPers in the 50's. No wait that was the CCF. Oh well, it's not your first mistake by a long way so no matter. eh. Jimmy is right. We BC Hydro) buy power from IPPs and ROR projects at an inflated price because the poor sods (friends of Campbell) have to make a handsome profit. But we stupid folks (BC population) have to sell it to the U.S. for less because they won't pay more. Some scam, some royal screwing we get/
You got it now Wilf? Are you happy with that because the BCUC isn't? What compensation from Gordon Soprano are you getting?
2013
Skywalker, your points are well worth campaigning on in 2013. Fortunately for the greater good, the National Socialist British Columbia Government Worker's Party, (aka NDP) is not terribly astute at winning elections. The fact they cannot win is a vast conspiracy and has nothing do do with their policies, which are 100% guaranteed to produce a Worker's Paradise.
I may add....
Whoever the Socialist Collective is paying for this site's "redesign" is a good example how of an NDPer couldn't run a lemonade stand in a desert. How long has this debacle been going on now?
Wilfred Laurier
That's just damned offensive.
Sometimes I think you are almost capable of (somewhat) polite, intelligent discussion. But you always manage to show yourself for the shallow, pathetic little troll you really are. It's a pity.
Jimmy
That's a Wilfred ploy reminiscent of Luke. When he doesn't have a good counter debating point, he comes up with some totally irrelevant issue like he just did. Every issue ends with his contribution, paraphrased " yeah but the NDP is not very good at wining elections" as though that is the deciding factor. Funny really.
Blair "No Nukes No More" Lekstrom
How does exporting power at less than two cents a kwhr during spring freshette, support our social programs when we are buying it at 12 cents.
No wonder Neocon business practices bankrupted us.
Nope, I think Lekstom has seen the light and has quietly told BCHydro to call up Westinghouse and see if we can get the same deal as the Chinese got buying 4.8 gigawatts of nuke for $5.5 billion. With the recession and all maybe we can get it even cheaper. He will get rid of Burrard Thermal, double BC's baseload capacity have tons of energy for export and do'er for a fraction of the price we are paying for run of the river and wind. His homeys be talking about the legend of No Nukes No More for years to to come.
Of course importing nuclear power from Alberta and the US will be an even better deal for the taxpayers - BCUC's point.
Even with our current contracts, ten years down the road BCHydro will be still buying billions in pirate power annually at 12 cents a kilowatt hour, while our competitors will be using new pulse fusion plants operating at fractions of a cent per kwhr.
jimmy_laroux
You have to forgive Wilf, he's been listening to US talk radio again and thinks the Left is building secret internment camps near Flin Flon for right-wingers.
Skywalker
Definitely. Debating with Luke was far more fun, though.
Where did Luke go, anyway? I sort of miss the guy :)
In principle, what's wrong with exporting power?
If we can all agree that the source of the power isn't mucking up rivers and destroying wildlife habitat, is there a reason why it's wrong to export power?
All kinds of things shawnerbee
1) Because of Nafta - if we export it creates entitlements to future exports when those sources of power may not be so benign...
2) Because of competitive advantage - if we have access to a cheap resource we should use those resources to stimulate our own productive economy - not shift out resources and goods to other places to be manufactured; and
3) If we provide power more cheaply (or reduce our need for it through conservation) it helps our citizens and our economy.
4) All resources are, in the end, finite - if we use them now we won't have them around later - selling non-labour assets like power is shortsighted because whe should be using the power here (as needed) to provide labour intensive jobs in British Columbia.
California, for example, has reduced its power needs significantly (despite growth) because of long standing conservation protocols - many of which will work perfectly well here without requiring the generation of more power now...
And of course, the simple economic fact that signing up to sell power for less than you pay for it just to line your friends' pockets is - bottom line - insane...