Victoria Sends Site C to BCUC for Review
Victoria, B.C. – The provincial government has asked the British Columbia Utilities Commission to begin reviewing the Site C project.
Construction on the $8.8-billion dam in northeast B.C. was started by the previous government in July 2015 without such regulatory oversight.
“Our government is delivering on our commitment to British Columbians by ordering an independent review of Site C to ensure we can keep hydro rates affordable,” said Energy, Mines and Petroleum Minister Michelle Mungall.
“The previous government refused to allow our independent energy watchdog to examine the project to determine if it was in the public interest,” she added. “That was wrong. We’re sending this project to the BCUC to ensure we make the right decision for B.C. families.”
Mungall also released the review’s terms of reference which included:
- Confirm whether or not BC Hydro is on target to complete Site C on budget and by 2024, and;
- Provide advice on implications for ratepayers associated with:
- Proceeding with the project
- Suspending the project, while maintaining the option to resume construction until 2024, and;
- Terminating the project, remediating the site and proceeding with other resource portfolios that provide the same level of benefits at the same or lower cost as Site C.
The terms of reference also require the BCUC to consult with interested parties, which Mungall confirmed meant it’s her understanding there will be public consultation throughout the province.
The review is set to begin Aug. 9, 2017 and the terms of reference specifies a preliminary report from the BCUC within six weeks (by Sept. 20) and a final report within 12 weeks (by Nov. 1).
A decision by cabinet is expected shortly after the final report is released.
Comments
Thank you Mr NDP / Greenies
•Suspending the project, while maintaining the option to resume construction until 2024, (Cost to be announced later at a increase of how many Billions) and;
•Terminating the project, remediating the site and proceeding with other resource portfolios that provide the same level of benefits at the same or lower cost as Site C.
So we have 4 years of contacts awarded and signed off, Site work that has been ongoing for the past 2 years … Billions spent and if the above two options are taken Billions in penalties to be paid out as companies have already started to process there contacts .. to reclaim the land that B.C. Hydro has owned since the 1950’s….
Jobs in the North for all, under the NDP and Green Party – A prefect example of how short sighted this collation really is … Beyond Hope is beyond hope…
Oh how are the Bridge Toll transfer to a provincial road user mileage tax system coming along we might as well pay off the bridge debts today also and break that contact …
Oh where, oh where, is the money gonna come from – Think you forgot there is only one pocket out there the tax payer. We fund the Federal system, Provincial system, Local Government system etc. and I know my pockets are getting dry
So thank you for your great insight and job prospects for the north
:)
They are not a coalition. They’re doing what they campaigned on and what the majority of voters voted for.
You missed one.
How much will have to be paid to First Nations who in good faith consented to this project with the promise of future economic benefits that will now be extinguished – as happened with the LNP being cancelled.
Big is take to cancel that project at this time.
Politicians venture where angels fear to tread. Alas, too bad it is not THEIR money.
And what benefit would this project provide if it is completed. I guess its ok to saddle our grand kids with the cost and viability of this project.
Cheers
This project provides a reliable electrical grid for the 21st century so our children can have 12 computers to a house and drive to work in electric cars… rather than freeze in the dark with no job. Any luck and the grid availability will attract some new energy intensive industry, which is the intangible that can’t be quantified by prognosticators.
Energy we don’t currently need or forecasted to need in the near future either. The cost is far too high for too little return. It bears review as most people voted for.
Retired 02, you state: “I guess it’s ok to saddle our grand kids with the cost and viability of this project”!
How admirable of you to be concerned about saddling our future generations with the costs we incur today!
Funny thing is, you don’t seem overly concerned about the massive deficits and debt that Justin and Co. are racking up and will continue to rack up for as long as they are in power federally!
Funny thing is, you don’t seem overly concerned about the extremely high probability that our new NDP/Green Provincial will also be racking up massive deficits and debt for as long as they are in power provincially!
Funny thing is, you don’t seem overly concerned about the massive unfunded unionized Public Sector Pension Plan liabilities that will likely have to be massively subsidized by taxpayers that don’t have a pension!
So, what is it? Are you concerned about saddling our grand kids with our costs, or not???
Oops, almost forgot…..CHEERS!
This gov have no idea of what they are doing the quicker we get rid of them the better off we will be
LMFAO!
For the ndp mindset this is BC Fast Ferries payback.
Cancel the project and sell it for a dollar to private investors… and then holler about the Site C boon doggle and how much money the province lost every-time an election rolls around.
Its looking like we need to have money set aside for every change of government these days… severance payouts, broken contracts, and selling public mega projects for a dollar… we might be looking back at the good old days when this kind of funny business only cost us a billion give or take a few hundred million.
Eagleone, the difference is that with Site C, it will produce power, our population will increase, our energy use and demands will increase!and energy use will increase!
With the Fast Ferries, the NDP were told from day one that the ferries wouldn’t work! Wouldn’t work, but the NDP built them anyways, and they didn’t work!
I remember taking a trip on one of them, so obviously they did work. I also remember that when the Liberal government took the politically motivated decision to sell them off, that they were offered $20 million each for them and turned it down, only to sell them to the same company for a few million for all three. What wonderfully competent business acumen, Not!
Just Waite till the review that is taking place will tell us just what this project will do for us. The demand for electrical energy is declining in the USA.
And how much debt has Cristy crunch left. And how much personal debit do you have Mister Hart Guy.
Cheers
ammonra, it took very little time at all to determine that the wake from the fast ferries was causing problems and as a result the speed of the NDP’s “Fast” Ferries was dramatically reduced, making them “Slow” Ferries!
They also gulped far more fuel than some would have liked!
Come on, you knew all of that already, didn’t you!
Retired 02, or is it Mister Retired 02 now, I have no personal “debit” but I do carry some “tax-deductible” business debt, or is that debit! ;-)
I’m still waiting for a reply to my earlier question to you about your concerns regarding saddling our grandkids with our debt. Still waiting!
Cheers!
Our system of approving these mega projects needs to be rethought. Some govt’s like to line the pockets of their corporate buddies at the expense of taxpayers. These projects need to be thoroughly explored by all parties and put in front of special committees to ensure their viability before any money is spent directly on any project. I believe taxpayers have had enough of the days where the governing party alone says where their tax dollars are being spent.
You referring to the 65 billion in IPP contracts?
Its interesting that all the doom and gloom crowd criticising the government have forgotten one little thing: all tthat has been done is refer it to the BCUC as was promised during the election campaign. I can understand that the rightists don’t want the NDP to keep its word after 16 years of a government breaking theirs, but the BCUC have not met yet and they have not issued a report, so who knows what the outcome will be. Certainly, I do not, but I am not a fortune telling prophet of the mighty right. However, the whole thging does beg the question as to why BCUC was deliberately excluded when the Liberals decided to build Site C. Now, why was that, again?
Hydro projects take years to clear environmental hurdles. Once a consensus is reached and all permits are in place it takes another ten years from the first shovel in the ground to power flowing in the new transmission lines. Cancelling this one Will be the undoing of the so-called *coalition* and its two participants.
Going after site c but the 65 billion in IPP contracts gets a free ride. Lots of hands in pockets in that racket. If IPP power is so grand especially wind generation how come we can not see any generation figures? What are these corporations and government trying to hide? Would be interesting to see how many eagles have been sliced and diced.
If the save the planet granola brigade cancels Site C, there will not be enough a/c power generated in B.C. to recharge all the electric vehicles that will be on the road in 20 years.
It is inevitable, our society will slowly but surely replace the internal combustion engine driven vehicle with all electric versions.
Solar and wind generation will never produce enough, and those options have limited lifespans, compared to hydro electric power.
Our descendants will need the power generated by Site C.
metalman.
And what happens to the rivers and streams when you start holding back large amounts of water?
oldman1, get outta your chair and drive on up to Hudson Hope!
Check out the W.A.C. Bennett Dam and the Williston Lake reservoir it created! Check out the Peace Canyon Dam and the lake it created, Dinosaur Lake!
Do this and you will know what happens to rivers and streams when you start holding back large amounts of water!
Now that was easy, right??
Oldman what would be your source of power?
“Our descendants will need the power generated by Site C.
metalman.”
Right on! If 6 decades ago they would have built nothing, how would we be living today?
Billions of dollars are being invested by major manufacturers to switch production to fully electric vehicles! They will be on the roads a lot sooner than we think! The latest emission standards can be met only by a mix of ICE powered vehicles, hybrids and fully electric ones.
We are currently exporting power to the USA or I should say giving it to the USA. Have they ever paid the $300,000,000 debt to Power X? Our grand kids will decide what power they need.
All you power hungry people are really concerned about is the profit this project will provide for you. You really don’t give a dam about our Grand kids.
Cheers Hart Guy
Retired, hydro sells into the US and buys from the US and also trades between utilities in the US. Electrical trading goes on all over the west and east grids. Operates like a stock exchange. If we have excess water why not sell it instead of spilling it. At night sometimes Hydro can buy power cheaper than they can generate it then during the day when the market increase turn around and sell it for a profit. Whats your issue with that.
Do a search on buying and selling electricity for detail.
seamutt- definitely would try to stay away from BS. This would be my source of power.
So oldman that is all you got, the usual no facts, no nothing but a drive by troll.
Comments for this article are closed.