Syntaris Power

Independent power producers seek parity with other Hydro customers, but critics argue move would negatively impact ratepayers

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.

Link to full article

New report says bioenergy can bring new capital, replace lost jobs

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

Link to full article

BC Hydro official expects first contract awards shortly

* 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.

Link to full article

The Copenhagen summit demonstrated that while global warming remains top of mind at home and abroad, achieving a global consensus on strategies and actions to confront this critical issue is a daunting task.

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

Link to full letter