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VICTORIA – BC Hydro has selected 19 independent power projects for its latest round of energy purchase agreements, including a scaled-down version of its proposed Upper Toba run-of-river complex north of Powell River.

Similar non-storage hydro developments near Mission, Harrison Hot Springs, Pemberton, Port McNeill, Sechelt, Golden and Terrace were also selected, with a total of 14 contracts.

The other five contracts are for wind energy projects, all in the Tumbler Ridge area of northeastern B.C. Finavera Renewables Inc. expects to start construction of four wind farms in 2012, with a total generating capacity of more than 800 gigawatt-hours per year.

The fifth and largest wind project selected is proposed by CP Renewable Energy (formerly EPCOR), which already sells power to BC Hydro from river projects near Prince Rupert and Pemberton.

BC Hydro still has 28 projects under consideration, and expects to announce more deals by the end of March. Among those is the Naikun Wind, an offshore proposal in Hecate Strait in partnership with the Haida Nation.

Plutonic Power Corp. was selected for a contract after it scaled its Upper Toba hydro plan down from three river generating stations to two. Plutonic's first-phase project at Toba Inlet is nearing completion, with its power lines and generating units set for testing this month.

Plutonic and its partner GE Energy Financial Services also announced they are delaying a power purchase application for a much larger run-of-river network on 17 creeks flowing into Bute Inlet, further north of Powell River.

Plutonic CEO Donald McInnes said the company needs another 12 to 18 months to work with local communities, before resuming negotiations for the largest run-of-river proposal in B.C.

In its Feb. 9 throne speech, the B.C. Liberal government promised a new Clean Energy Act it said will simplify the process for BC Hydro's power purchase agreements.

All projects offered contracts with BC Hydro must still be approved by the B.C. Utilities Commission.

The B.C. government is also studying the latest review of the proposed Site C hydroelectric dam on the Peace River, and is expected to decide this spring whether to send that project to public hearings.

“I think the world has changed so radically that the old capitalist versus socialist paradigm is smashed and broken,” says former NDP agriculture minister Corky Evans.

Evans, the popular MLA for Nelson-Creston who is retiring after the May 12 election, was speaking to about 50 Central Okanagan NDP members at a nomination meeting Tuesday night.

Gordon Campbell successfully defeated the NDP in 2001 by bringing a coalition of conservatives, reformers and Socreds into his Liberal party.

But according to Evans, Campbell has abandoned many core conservative and Social Credit values and has instead embraced an ideology of unregulated global free markets.

This has allowed wealthy investors to take big risks in their quest for huge profits but has now brought the world economy to the brink of collapse, said Evans.

As a result, some of Campbell’s supporters are abandoning him.

Evans pointed to the example of Rafe Mair, a popular ex-radio show host who was a cabinet minister in Bill Bennett’s Social Credit government from 1975 to 1980.

“Me and Rafe didn’t start out as friends. When I learned politics he was the bad guy,” said Evans.

But now Evans and Mair often travel around the province and take the same side when they appear together on discussion panels.

Mair has become an outspoken critic of the private run of the river projects the Campbell government is encouraging as the way to create new electricity generating capacity.

Mair is concerned that these projects will be environmentally disastrous and cause hydro rates to soar, with those profits going to private, often American, companies rather than into the public treasury as happens with the sale of electricity B.C. Hydro generates itself.

In addition, Mair is worried that under the North American Free Trade Agreement, once an American company get access to Canadian water for any reason, it can use it for any purpose, including bulk water exports.

“It didn’t matter that I was a New Democrat and he was a Socred,” Evans said about Mair. “We both thought it would be a very good idea if we had water, and public ownership and fish.”

Socreds, added Evans, were conservatives who understood work.

“What I remember of W.A.C. Bennett was that we had the highest minimum wage in Canada and the highest welfare rates in Canada,” he said. “Why is that? Because in those days the conservative politician thought, ‘The landlord is mostly my friend, I better give these poor people enough money so they can pay the landlord,’ and ‘You got to pay the person working at 7-Eleven enough money that they can buy stuff from the 7-Eleven.’”

Evans then invoked the legacy of former premier Bill Bennett, who Evans said went to Hong Kong and told foreign business people that “you can buy our lumber but you can’t buy our logging companies.”

Campbell in contrast, has opened all of B.C. up to the global marketplace.

“The whole thing is for sale,” Evans bellowed, his voice ringing with righteous indignation. “The sense that it was ours, or yours, is gone.”

adrian [at] kelownacapnews.com

To the editor:

Regarding letters about B.C. power self-sufficiency, (Privatization of Power Will Cost us Dearly, Oct. 19; B.C. Liberals Want Power Self-sufficiency, Oct. 31, Capital News) I really wonder why B.C. Hydro is not allowed to build and maintain run-of-the-river, wind farms and other power production for us.

They have done a good job to date with large projects and should be able to handle smaller projects more efficiently and economically than a variety of companies working in a variety of locations.

It seems simpler, would be easier to monitor regulations, should not involve NAFTA and WTO, could co-operate with local residents negating the need for laws overriding local prohibitions, be more environmentally conscious, and the land could stay Crown land which would be simpler for native land claims.

Most importantly, the energy and ownership would remain with British Columbians.

S. Fitzpatrick,
Kelowna

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