Connecting Hwy 37 To Grid Key For Northern Caucus

By 250 News

Prince George-Omenica MLA John Rustad says connecting Highway 37 in B.C.'s northwest to the power grid is of utmost importance.

Rustad says efforts to secure the "electrification" along the route are progressing.  "There has been a lot of negotiations and working being done," he says, "Partnerships BC is involved in dealing with the companies - I'm optimistic."

The Prince George-Omenica MLA says the importance of connecting that region cannot be over-stated, given the number of mining and exploration ventures in that area.  He says mines have traditionally used diesel-fuel or other types of fuel for their power generation.  "(But) because of the increase in costs associated with that, many mining projects are no longer economically viable unless they actually have connectivity to the grid, so that's why we're looking so much at Highway 37 and the mining potential in that area."

The Galore Creek gold-copper-silver mine, 150-kilometres northwest of Stewart, just received environmental approval from the province and is awaiting federal approval before launching the $1.3-billion dollar capital build portion of the mine.  Rustad says, "Power is a big component of what they need."

The area MLA says he's hopeful negotiations with BC Hydro and other stakeholders will wrap up soon.  "I would like to see something happen in terms of an announcement, by this spring, given the timeframes of some of the mining projects," says Rustad, "Having said that, there's certainly no indication, at this stage whether we're going to be successful or whether that's going to meet the project, but I am quite optimistic."

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