Independent power producers seek economic opportunities and benefits from government similar to those available for British Columbia industries such as forestry and mining, according to a document obtained by The Vancouver Sun.

Independents argue in a submission to the B.C. government’s Green Energy Task Force that the industry could quadruple in size by 2020, generating $29 billion in capital investment and creating up to 8,000 full-time permanent jobs.

That includes development of new power supplies for both domestic use and a hungry export market in the United States, according to the submission from the Independent Power Producers Association of B.C.

“IPPs are poised to become another piston in the B.C. resource industry export engine along with mining, forestry and oil and gas — with the ensuing benefits to the provincial treasury,” the submission states.

The independent power association argues that energy planning must move beyond the traditional objective of providing BC Hydro customers with the lowest possible electricity rates, and incorporate climate change actions, renewable power development and some social policies into the price of power.

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he Canadian forest industry can come out of the recession stronger than ever by turning green, according to a new study by the Forest Products Association of Canada.

The study shows that traditional wood products, like lumber or pulp, are the best platform for a new bioenergy sector that can bring new capital, create new jobs and provide the benefits of clean energy.

But it’s going to take a change in direction from industry and government to attract needed capital, states the report, called the Future Biopathways Project.

“The ability to produce energy, fuel and chemicals from wood fibre, along with forests’ capacity to sequester carbon from the atmosphere, will change the nature of the game for Canada’s forest products industry,” states a summary of the report released yesterday.

“As much as this is welcome news for forestry workers, it is also advantageous to communities and the national economy at large, since the forest products industry produces far more jobs and generates greater GDP than emerging bio-industries in isolation.”

FPAC president Avrim Lazar said the association is seeking $3 billion from Ottawa in new and existing programs over the next five years to spur the transition.

By Gordon Hamilton, Canwest News Service

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* Award process delayed since last summer
* Some small companies depend on contracts for survival

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Long-term power contracts are expected to be awarded shortly to small clean energy producers in British Columbia, an official at the Canadian province’s main power utility said on Tuesday, as the industry despaired at how long the process was taking.

“I expect that we would have a first tranche of awards in the ‘Clean Power Call’ very shortly,” said Cam Matheson, director of energy planning at BC Hydro.

“I am not going to promise a date because I think we need to be out of that game of promising dates. I think people will be quite pleased with what we’ve got in the near future,” Matheson told Reuters on the sidelines of a power conference in Vancouver.

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But despite the absence of a realistic and effective international plan to tackle climate change, it’s reassuring to know that British Columbia is taking real leadership and action through various measures, including the carbon tax, cap and trade, legislated greenhouse-gas reductions, a carbon-neutral public service and the Low Carbon Fuel Standard to name a few.

Further, in B.C., we have a unique opportunity — some might say a moral obligation — to use our endowment of renewable resources to make a real and meaningful difference in the battle against climate change.

After all, we are the only region in North America to have world-scale clean power generation potential from wind, biomass, hydro, geothermal, solar and tidal all in one place.

…PricewaterhouseCoopers recently released a report commissioned by the Independent Power Producers Association of BC (IPPBC) on the economic impact of the province’s clean energy sector.

The report indicates that by 2020, capital investment in B.C.’s independent power sector could reach $26 billion.

Moreover, the report found that independent power projects are creating jobs for British Columbians, and that construction in the sector could create 90,000 person years of employment by 2020, and more than 9,100 full time jobs to support operating projects.

By Paul Kariya, Special to the Sun

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The time has never been better for Canada to replace carbon-based fossil fuels with alternative energy, but several challenges still stand in the way, according to a new study by the Economist Intelligence Unit, sponsored by Ernst & Young.

Renewable Energy in North America surveyed 132 executives in the US and Canada and found that the most significant drivers for renewable energy are public perception and government, while cost and technological immaturity are still significant barriers.

“We’ve seen a real willingness from the Canadian public to embrace the virtues of “going green” - but price is still a top consideration,” said Cathy Cobey, Canadian Leader for Ernst & Young’s Climate Change and Sustainability practice group. “Renewable energy is necessary for us to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels - including coal, natural gas and oil - but it must be priced competitively.”

Despite recently announced government incentive programs, renewable energy still remains expensive for both consumers and suppliers in Canada, impeding the shift to new energy sources. Canadian suppliers are clearly concerned with the cost of generating renewable energy - with 64% saying high costs make renewable energy unattractive to their customers. It appears that their concerns are not unfounded, as 68% of energy consumers surveyed say their organization has not taken steps to develop and adopt a renewable energy strategy.

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British Columbia’s plan for a $400-million high voltage power line into the northwest has Alaskans buzzing about the project’s potential to spark green power development in their state.

Southeast Alaska has more than 3,000 megawatts of potential electricity generation at 80-plus sites, including hydro, wind and tidal power.

But with a population of 70,000 people scattered across a 650-kilometre area, the geographically isolated southeast market is too small to absorb even a fraction of that electricity. It’s not economical unless it can be exported.

The northwest line would give Alaska access, for purposes of electricity sales, to the entire western North America electricity market.

Bob Grimm, president and CEO of Alaska Power & Telephone, said his company is “very interested in working with anyone that’s interested in building a northern intertie [bulk power transmission line] up to northeast B.C. and some sort of interconnection to Alaska because it would create a new industry that doesn’t exist in southeast Alaska right now.”

“We could build our portion now, but we still wouldn’t get anywhere so we are really dependent on the province and Ottawa moving forward on the idea of electrifying that part of the province,” he added.

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They’re convinced a groundswell of support in southeastern Alaska can now be transformed into action on a senior political level, says Paul Southland, a Wrangell, Alaska resident and key backer of the ACEcoaltion with ACE standing for Alaska Canada Energy. The key now, says Southland, is the planned Northwest Transmission Line which would run north of Terrace up to a place called Bob Quinn on Hwy37 North.

That location is just over 90km from an existing American line in southeastern Alaska and 3,000 megawatts of potential power projects, he says.

Construction of the Northwest Transmission Line would spur on plans to build the connecting line, Southland added.

He credited the federal government announcement this fall that it would put up to $130 million into the Northwest Transmission Line as a reason for optimism.

“From ice cold, it has now turned red hot,” said Southland of plans to connect the two countries.

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The first deal was with the Coastal First Nations, while the second was with the Haida nation. Both are essentially business deals, although they are officially called “reconciliation protocols.”

While Premier Gordon Campbell’s declaration that the Queen Charlotte Islands will officially be changed to “Haida Gwaii” on all provincial maps got some attention, the real meat of the matter is in the fine print.

The deals essentially give First Nations equal footing to government in economic development matters, the idea being to bring new prosperity to many people who have long been impoverished or denied access to the many things that flow from economic prosperity.

The provincial government has essentially brought First Nations bands into a joint-management company that will oversee and determine all land-use decisions, and how resources are going to be extracted and by whom.

As well, the First Nations have signed onto the province’s green energy plan, and are getting access to millions of dollars (and a new ferry terminal on the north-central coast).

by Keith Baldrey, Special To North Shore News

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British Columbia needs to take a closer look at the effect new renewable electricity development will have on communities, business and the environment before it commits to increasing the size of the sector, environmental groups said Thursday.

A report prepared for 25 environmental groups says B.C. needs to restore public confidence as well as demonstrate that plans to develop power for export will work to the benefit of the province.

“Many British Columbians–including those deeply concerned about climate change — harbour concerns about how renewable electricity is currently planned, promoted and developed in B.C.,” says a six-page report released Thursday.

“They want to see renewable electricity projects, but they want to be confident that those projects are planned and developed in a way that limits impacts and maximizes benefits for British Columbians.”

The report was co-written by David Suzuki Foundation, Pembina Institute, Watershed Watch Salmon Society and West Coast Environmental Law.

The report is aimed at both the government and members of a Green Energy Advisory Task Force announced last month by Premier Gordon Campbell to recommend new policies for green power development, and opportunities to export renewable power to the United States.

Blair Lekstrom, minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, said he welcomed the report.

Lekstrom encouraged the authors to submit it to the committee which is due to report back to government in January.

By Scott Simpson, Vancouver Sun

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Electricity is increasingly seen as the energy carrier of choice to replace fossil fuels, and this province has an opportunity to show real leadership in making this transition a reality.

…Of course, for electrification to make a large impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the electricity will have to be generated sustainably, using renewable energy and nuclear power rather than coal or natural gas. Since nearly all of our electricity is generated from renewable hydroelectric power, B.C. can set an example for the world in showing how to move away from fossil fuels and towards a new sustainable “electricity economy.”

This will inevitably require a significant expansion of our generation and transmission facilities, and the province needs to act quickly to ensure that these new facilities are as sustainable and cost-effective as possible.

By Robert L. Evans, Special to Times Colonist

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