B.C. Clean Energy Act unveiled in legislature
This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 28th, 2010 and is filed under Green Energy, Industry News.
Ambitious Liberal plan expected this week
The B.C. Liberal government today has introduced a new Clean Energy Act that increases the province’s focus on clean energy develop and conservation.
The government says in a news release the act includes 16 specific objectives aimed at “expediting clean energy investments, protecting B.C. [electricity] ratepayers, ensuring competitive rates, encouraging conservation, strengthening environmental protection and aggressively promoting regional job creation and first nations’ involvement in clean electricity development opportunities.”
The act puts unprecedented emphasis on conservation, requiring Hydro to meet 66 per cent of new electricity demand through energy efficiency measures, and calls for introduction of a $1-billion “smart meter” program that sees interactive electricity meters installed in households with a promise that Hydro customers will save from $145 to $450 a year.
The act allows Hydro and independent power producers to pursue opportunities to cultivate export electricity markets — but it says that “ratepayers will not be subsidizing export power sales.”
By Scott Simpson
link to full article
