To the editor:
David Field’s [B.C. Citizens for Green Energy] Dec. 12 letter to the editor: B.C. Should Return To Being Energy Self-Sufficient, misses some key points on the issue of Site C dam.
These points are well made in a report from consultants London Economic International, who found:
• Smaller, independent clean-energy projects built around B.C., instead of Site C, could save us hundreds of millions
• They would do so because they can be right-sized and right-timed, built as needed, where needed, rather than in one lump
• Such smaller projects can adjust to the changing picture of future power demand and supply, and can take advantage of developing and cheaper technologies
• They place the risk of development and costs on the developer, not on the public taxpayer and ratepayer, and
• They would offer “more plentiful and meaningful opportunities for First Nations participation.”
There is also the question of whether Site C is a good investment, given the size of our provincial debt. Mr. Field cited a cost of $8 billion. The day his letter ran, the government upped that to $8.5 billion—and said it could eventually be more than that.
Smaller clean-energy projects are a cost-effective and smart way of providing B.C. with the power it needs.
What we need now is an open “power call” in which independent power producers and BC Hydro can submit binding bids to give B.C. the power it needs.
(The London Economics Report is online at http://bit.ly/ZHV3Qq)
Paul Kariya, executive director,
Clean Energy BC
