BC Hydro forecasts BC electricity requirements to go up to between 68,000 and 82,000 gigawatt hours (gwh) by 2025. This is up 35% from 51,000 gwh in 2006 – an increase of at least 17,000 gwh.
Sounds like we are going to need a lot more power in BC, but BC Hydro’s Powersmart people say that BC caneasily conserve 8,660 gwh by 2026, and could conserve up to 15,070 – for a net increase of only 2,000 gwh.
To put that in perspective, BC Hydro has accepted 4 projects to generate power from beetle kill wood for 579 gwh. The 2003 Green power proposals came to 1762 gwh so 2,000 gwh will not require much capacity-building.
Hydro is in the process of adding two 500 megawatt generators to the Mica (Columbia River) dam. They are also adding another 500 mw generator to the Revelstoke dam.
Permanent closures in the pulp industry, not included in these forecasts, should free up 2,000 gwh. Then there is the Kitimat aluminium plant, which is not now going to be expanded according to the new owners. It has power surplus to its needs.
For “Clean Power,” in the current round, BC Hydro received 68 proposals from 43 companies, representing a total firm energy output of approximately 17,000 gwh per year. The proposals were for 45 hydro projects, 19 wind projects, 2 waste heat projects, 1 biogas project, and 1 biomass project.”
Site C would create 4600 gwh.
-BC Hydro 2005 Electric Load Forecast, BC Hydro Conservation Potential Report, 2007
[Watershed Sentinel, January/February 2009]
