Energy and Climate Solutions Minister Adrian Dix announced on Wednesday (June 4) that BC Hydro is taking proposals for new energy projects to meet the latest call for power, and is also seeking proposals for new energy-efficiency technology.
"We have never seen so much demand for electricity, and so much potential for growth," Dix told reporters in Vancouver.
This is part of BC Hydro's second call to power in as many years, with the Crown corporation seeking to add 5,000 gigawatt hours to the grid 香蕉视频直播� enough electricity to power roughly 500,000 homes. The government's ideal is to have projects providing energy from renewable sources that are at least partly First Nation-owned.
BC Hydro hopes implementing energy efficiency technology will enable it to save 2,000 gigawatt-hours, effectively adding that amount back into the grid.
The 2024 call for power also aims to provide about 5,000 gigawatts of electricity through nine wind and solar projects. These are between 49 and 51 per cent First Nation-owned.
These new projects can be larger than the 2024 ones and will likely be more diverse in type. Dix said he wants these to provide "firm power," meaning the energy comes from less weather-dependent sources.
BC Hydro CEO Chris O'Riley said the goal is to complement renewable sources and provide a more consistent electricity supply.
Dix mentioned geothermal and hydroelectric dams as possibilities in this grouping. He specifically singled out a storage dam project proposed by a First Nation on Vancouver Island, though he noted that nothing is finalized.
The deadline for proposals is in September.
Immediately after the announcement, Dr. Melissa Lem, president of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, issued a news release calling on Dix to make it clear that these new power sources won't involve liquefied natural gas.
香蕉视频直播淧eople in B.C. should not have to pay many times over to support an industry that is putting all of us on the hook for intensifying healthcare and climate costs," Lem said.
