To the editor:
I am responding to Tom Fletcher’s article, headlined B.C. gas boom is real, in the Feb. 20 edition of the 100 Mile House Free Press.
Mr. Fletcher failed to mention how power-hungry the LNG (liquefied natural gas) plants are.
Getting power from BC Hydro would mean Site C would be necessary, at an estimated cost of $8 billion to the province-owned Crown corporation.
New supply to BC Hydro would also come from privately-owned independent power projects (IPPs), which supply expensive power to BC Hydro.
BC Hydro now owes approximately $54 billion to IPPs, whether it needs the power or not, or it can sell it for a profit.
BC Hydro’s debt this year is expected to be $14.5 billion. LNG export would only drive BC Hydro deeper into debt.
Much of the new gas production in northern BC would need to be fracked, which uses and pollutes billions of litres of fresh water in the process.
In my view, the LNG export idea will only proceed with massive public subsidies of power and fresh water.
Other countries around the world are rushing to develop their own natural gas, which will only drive the price down.
As for the benefits of Alberta’s tar sands, Alberta is now facing huge fiscal deficits. Extracting bitumen from the tar sands also relies on subsidized power and water.
If the British Columbia government is looking at LNG export to save the B.C. economy, they are sadly mistaken, in my opinion.
Hugh Thomas
100 Mile House
