It’s hardly surprising that the proposed Bute Inlet hydro project emerged recently as the latest flashpoint in the ongoing war of words between private river developers and an increasingly concerned public, says Craig Orr, executive director of Coquitlam-based Watershed Watch Salmon Society.
As might be expected, the three January and February public meetings for the Bute project – which recently wrapped up the public comment period of the environmental assessment process – generated more bombast and confrontation than any real discussion about how such clustered industrial developments can be truly sustainable or “green.”
Plutonic Power Corp. plans to dam and divert 17 rivers located about 250 kilometres northwest of Vancouver, necessitating over 440 kilometres of new transmission line, 267 kilometres of permanent access roads and 142 bridges – all in areas essential to grizzlies, wolves, salmon, threatened marbled murrelets and many other species of concern. To be built in financial partnership with Connecticut-based General Electric Co., this single project is so colossal, its peak generating capacity will surpass that of the proposed Site C project on the Peace River.
The Bute Inlet river diversions are but one of at least seven massive run-of-river developments planned in close proximity (four of which are proposed by Plutonic), which will see an overlapping spiderweb of transmission lines and roads built to service each “green” development in isolation.
But with the emergence of a series of projects so fundamentally flawed – the cumulative environmental and social impacts cannot be measured, let alone mitigated – comes a very important and practical question: is the industrialization of vast areas of our province the price we must pay to keep the lights on? Or is there another way?
In the interest of providing constructive solutions for necessary change, consider the following as a better way forward:
• Regional and provincial land-use planning must be used as a tool to determine which areas of B.C. are environmentally and geographically appropriate for energy development and which areas are not. This is the only way forward if the serious issues of cumulative impacts and democratic process are to be addressed.
• The province must devise a strategic energy planning process that accounts for and minimizes environmental, social and economic costs per kilowatt of energy generated. Such a process will rule out projects that are not truly “green” and determine a mix of renewable energy types that will best serve the public.
• No water licences should be granted without requiring long-term data collection and adaptive management. Given that current and planned projects will operate for many decades, water licences granted by the province must be flexible enough to adapt to changes in diverted and in-stream river flows resulting from climate change and improved knowledge of our environment over time.
• The province must seriously ramp up its efforts to promote and maximize power conservation. Improved public education and incentives must be combined with a more aggressive pricing structure to encourage real conservation, which is an alternative to new projects and will enable B.C. to reduce future energy demand.
• In cases such as Bute Inlet, where the project scale and location presents immeasurable environmental impacts and future risks, the precautionary approach must be applied. This means that if environmental impacts cannot be adequately measured, mitigated and monitored, a project should not be approved.
• There must be real opportunities for broad and meaningful input. The general public, First Nations, conservation groups and municipal governments must have a real say about whether projects move forward or are rejected. Bill 30 has removed the right of municipalities to reject unacceptable energy development. The public also deserves better access to open houses, meetings and decision makers.
British Columbians clearly desire better options and more say in the future of energy development. To that end, it is the obligation of our provincial government to ensure that all power projects are only approved after proving we can afford the related environmental, social and economic costs.
Green energy is not a dream with a distant future. It’s a reality today and is the engine to drive a low-carbon economy, says Donald McInnes, CEO and vice-chair of Vancouver-based Plutonic Power Corp.
B.C.’s energy policy is not only positioning the province as a global energy leader, it’s helping make a substantial difference in the fight to combat climate change and drive economic growth – a clear path to becoming a global clean energy powerhouse.
Today we import as much as 15 per cent of our annual energy from non-renewable sources in Alberta and the U.S. In fact, BC Hydro has been a net importer of electricity in seven of the last eight years. Replacing imported carbon-laden power with green energy will generate new economic opportunities while demonstrating strong environmental leadership. This is exactly the road map being used around the world to transform the global economy.
B.C. needs a balanced portfolio of energy sources. Complementing B.C.’s dams and conservation efforts such as Power Smart with independently built energy provides BC Hydro with a range of options, without burdening taxpayers with the cost and development risks involved in building new generation. Our legacy of hydroelectric power was built before 1984 and has provided low electricity rates.
However, since that time, B.C.’s population has increased by 50 per cent without any significant new generation capacity being built. No matter who brings on new generation, new energy will cost more. To secure the next legacy of secure power, independent power producers now sell their renewable energy exclusively to BC Hydro under a long-term contract at a fixed price, guaranteeing taxpayers continued price certainty regardless of market fluctuations.
For Plutonic Power’s proposed Bute Inlet hydroelectric project, we have commenced to a rigorous federal and provincial environmental assessment process, which includes extensive public consultation. We hold ourselves to high standards in our partnerships with First Nations and local communities, as well as in how we are implementing the infrastructure of our project. We have sought to plan on a watershed basis with a comprehensive approach that includes improving existing logging roads, undertaking exhaustive scientific and environmental assessments of potential impacts and clustering generation so our transmission system is maximized.
We are confident that this project can meet the highest standards and deliver the economic and environmental benefits we all desire. Unfortunately, there is a well-organized misinformation campaign funded by those who oppose private sector participation. These opponents falsely state that rivers will be dammed, overstate the transmission right-of-way width by a factor of 10 and repeatedly state that we are exporting power to the U.S. when our sole customer would be BC Hydro.
We have been heartened by the support from local communities, our First Nations partners and moderate environmentalists, and are confident that the province at large will recognize the environmental benefits of green energy, along with the substantial benefits in terms of jobs, economic diversification and an expanded tax base.
We work closely with First Nations partners to understand their commitment to stewardship of the land, and we ensure they play a significant role in these developments. By creating partnerships that produce more than just royalty payments, First Nations and their communities are building on partnership successes to create long-term economic and employment opportunities.
On a recent tour of our Toba-Montrose project, a reporter put our First Nations partnership in human terms:
“The prettiest sight on my visit to Toba Inlet wasn’t the spectacular view of the steep-sided fjord. . . . It was watching two workers, an aboriginal father and son, laughing and joking over a hearty lunch at Plutonic Power’s run-of-river construction camp. To use an overworked phrase, it looked like hope and change.”
At Plutonic we are a part of the solution, not only for B.C.’s energy needs but also in helping to create economic opportunities that benefit local communities and the environment. This contribution will go a long way toward achieving B.C.’s quest to become a global clean energy powerhouse.
