FORSETH – Where is all that electric power going to come from?

ACCORDING TO a Nov. 28, 2024 Global News story, BC Hydro imported one quarter of the province’s power needs in the 12 previous months. The story stated that for the fiscal year ending March 2024, BC Hydro imported 13,600 gigawatt hours of electricity at a cost of nearly $1.4 billion.

Still, Clean Energy Canada (a climate and clean energy program within the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University) wants us to believe that:

B.C.’s electricity grid can handle increased demand from EVs, heat pumps and extreme weather events … AND THAT … Recent claims to the contrary are not based in reality

Here’s the thing though, according to the Government of BC the recent call, for new renewable energy projects, will provide less than 5,000 gigawatts of power per year (just over a third of what we imported in fiscal year 2024).  That power of course flowing only once construction is completed, and starts flowing into BC Hydro’s system.

The fact is, BC Hydro has been a NET importer of millions of megawatts of power, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

How much you ask? Let’s look to Stats-Can.

In 2020, BC Hydro purchased 7.08 million megawatts of power – mostly produced by coal powered plants in Alberta and Washington State.

In 2021 that figure jumped to 7,530,000 million megawatts … then to 8.81 million megawatts in 2022.

In 2023 imported power to British Columbia nearly doubled to 16.81 million, while last year, in the 8-month period of January to August, BC imported 11.25 million megawatts. Averaging that figure over a full 12 months would take that number up to 16.875 million – which would be another record year for power imports. (NOTE, the conversion formula is: 1,000 megawatts = 1 gigawatt)

While the provincial government continues to push British Columbians to convert from economical (and plentiful) natural gas to power hungry heat pumps, and from gas to electric vehicles (which will also consume ever increasing volumes of electricity), where is that power going to come from?

Even the provincial government itself has publicly stated that the demand for electricity is expected to increase by 15%, or more, between now and 2030.

Where is that power going to come from?

Make no mistake, we ARE going to need power from sources other than what is bring generated here in B.C., and that includes what will be coming online in the coming years, over and above the latest announced wind projects

Where is that power going to come from?

As I already mentioned, the shortfall required for B.C. comes, for the most part, from coal fired power plants in Alberta and Washington State.

And as that Global News story mentioned, the power we imported last year is more than two-and-a-half times what will be produced by the Site C Dam.

YES, you read that right.  The power we imported was more than two and a half times more what Site C is going to produce. So much for all that bluster and bravado about Clean BC, as we continue importing coal-fired power from outside our province.

Clean Energy Canada says don’t worry there’s more than enough electricity available.

The provincial government says don’t worry there’s more than enough electricity available.

Stats-Can figures for the past several years, however, say otherwise — as does the amount of new power which will be coming online.

So who’s telling the truth?

I’m going to have to say the numbers don’t lie. We don’t, and won’t, have enough to meet the needs of British Columbians … especially with the government mandate that 26 percent of all vehicles sold must be zero-emission by the end of next year … and with that number climbing to 100% by 2035 – just 10 short years away.

UNLESS the provincial government takes a serious look at nuclear power generation, or power generated by natural gas, we’re going to continue requiring high levels of imported – coal-fired – power from Washington State and Alberta.

The numbers just don’t lie.

In Kamloops, I’m Alan Forseth.  Please feel free to share your thoughts on this, in the Comments section below.

Alan Forseth is a Kamloops resident. For 40 years he has been active, in a number of capacities, in local, provincial and federal politics, including running as a candidate for the BC Reform Party in the 1996 provincial election. He is secretary of the Conservative Party of B.C.