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Government’s energy and fiscal policies shameful
Letter to the Editor
BC Hydro has become burdened with enormous financial debt load and obligation due to their contracting (by law) to Independent Power Producers or IPPs.
The former Premier Gordon Campbell believed that demand for ‘green’ power in California could be provided by B.C. Unfortunately, demand for this power was gravely over exaggerated by Hydro’s projections.
After BC Hydro signed and sealed many of the IPP contracts, then Premier Campbell discovered that California did NOT consider the ‘run of the river’ IPPs as green energy.
Surprise!
By not asking California first, whether these projects actually met California’s criteria, the $40 billion (yes…that is $40 billion) mistake is one that all of the taxpayers and rate payers of B.C. will be paying for! We are on the hook to cover those losses.
Another surprise… California must consider the use of natural gas as ‘green’ because 52% of their electricity is now being generated by natural gas.
The Site C project is estimated at another $9 billion, courtesy of the BC taxpayers. And believe it or not… BC Hydro’s own statements suggest that we can use the power from a Site C and sell it to California.
Fool us once… but really…? All these projects without a buyer for this power is not just bizarre but truly irresponsible. Shame on this government’s energy and fiscal policies.
Rick Koechl and Mike Kroecher,
Charlie Lake
