SHOULD THE BC GOVERNMENT ALLOW LONG TERM FIRM ELECTRICITY EXPORTS ?
Last August, the provincial government asked the BC Energy Council to report on whether the provincial government should allow either independent power producers or BC Hydro to construct new electricity generation and/or transmission facilities dedicated to the export market. This type of export is currently not allowed. WCELA recently made a submission to the Energy Council. The key issue is whether the net benefits of long term firm electricity exports outweigh the net costs to British Columbians. Net costs and benefits must take into account all environmental, social and economic factors. We asked the Council to recommend to Cabinet that it defer this decision until other relevant policies are completed. We submitted that the decision on long term firm electricity exports should be deferred for the following reasons: • The BC Energy Council should first develop a comprehensive provincial energy plan which will provide a framework for decisions on individual issues such as electricit
