$36 B announced for BC Hydro infrastructure
Premier David Eby says the province will be supporting a major expansion of BC Hydro’s electricity infrastructure.
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Canada, BC: Premier David Eby says the province will be supporting a major expansion of BC Hydro’s electricity infrastructure.
Eby announced that BC Hydro is planning to spend $36 billion on community and regional capital projects during the next decade, an increase of 50% over BC Hydro’s last capital budget and includes funding in infrastructure for electrification and projects reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“We must expand our electrical system like never before to power industrial development, to power our homes and businesses, to power our future,” Eby said. “Clean, affordable energy will help us meet that opportunity while reducing pollution, securing good paying jobs and creating new opportunities for our growing economy.”
The spending coincides with the conclusion of the construction of Site C in northeastern BC and responds to the rising demand for electricity. BC Hydro plans to acquire new sources of clean electricity, including wind and solar, which would be integrated into the existing system of hydro-electrical dams, which would act as water-storing “batteries”. BC Hydro could ramp production up or down almost instantly, providing a reliable back up for when the sun is not shining or the wind is not blowing.
It was also announced that government and BC Hydro would implement a new streamlined, one-window approval process to get electricity faster to in-demand industries. According to figures from June 2023, provincial demand for electricity will increase by 15% by 2030. BC Hydro paired that data with a historic call for power to third parties, the first of its kind in 15 years, saying they currently have 25% of their supply coming from independent power producers. BC Hydro said at the time it would only acquire electricity, which is 100% clean and renewable, including wind and solar.
Source: Vernon Morning Star
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