FORSETH: When it comes to electrification, nobody believes BC's NDP any more

As discussed in an earlier piece, wider use of electric vehicles has exposed shortcomings in BC's electrical grid. Despite BC's many hydro projects intended to produce clean, renewable electricity, the province still — surprisingly — imports electricity from the USA. It also benefits from smart decisions made by previous free-enterprise governments, that had the foresight to build dams and allow ‘run of the river’ projects, such as the massive Site C dam near Fort St. John.Last week, NDP Premier Eby announced an 'electrification plan' to supply industrial customers, residences and transit systems with clean power. It is wishful politicking. The truth is BC has nowhere near the kind of generation capacity necessary. And if the NDP's plans are followed, it never will.A statement of January 16 from the premier's office appears to contrast sharply with past NDP opposition to significant investments in power.“BC Hydro’s updated 10-year capital plan, Power Pathway: Building BC’s energy future, includes almost $36 billion in community and regional infrastructure investments throughout the province between 2024/25 and 2033/34 and includes a significant increase in electrification and emissions-reduction infrastructure projects." "These new construction projects are projected to support 10,500 to 12,500 jobs on average annually and will increase and maintain BC Hydro’s capital investments as major projects like Site C are completed.""It includes: building new high-voltage transmission lines and supporting infrastructure from Prince George to Terrace to meet industrial customer demand in the north coast area, including in the mining sector; building or expanding substations and installing new equipment to support residential housing growth and transit electrification in high-growth areas across the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island; upgrading BC’s dams and generating facilities to make them safer, more reliable and more efficient.”However, for all the talk about job creation and the building of the new installations, sadly there is no mention of the need for increased generation capacity to meet a natural rising demand of approximately 3% annually. Neither does it answer the grandiose demands from the federal government concerning the upcoming ban on the sale of all new ‘gas-only’ vehicles.Yet under current realities, BC risks brownouts and uncertain reliability as soon as 2026. It is already importing a record amount of electricity — 20% of the total needed last year, which is nearly twice the future output of the Site C dam. That import cost $450 million.Voters have short memories. In opposition, now-Premier Eby fought the Site C investment, claiming BC didn’t need the power — a position his party under former premier Horgan maintained, even after it came to power in 2017. He suggested the money be spent on social programs. Meanwhile, the NDP shut down BC Hydro’s small-scale local renewable energy projects and abandoned the aspirational plan for electrical self-sufficiency for BC. Only because Site C — first proposed in the 1950s — got to the point of no return by 2017 was the new government forced to continue construction. Even then, it wasn't easy: Horgan spoke of excruciating secret internal deliberations to overcome their past political posturing. It should have been a no-brainer, but the NDP insiders had a hard time overcoming their mythical leftie beliefs.Consequently, from 2021 and to the present day, power was imported during special peak times at great cost. (And 60% of it was generated from burning fossil fuels.) Sadly, even when Site C is completed, it will not make up for the more than 10,000 gigawatt-hours imported last year. It is therefore willful blindness to pretend, as this government does, that our abundant natural gas is not essential for present and future needs. Claiming consumers can just transfer their requirements from the use of natural gas onto the hydro-electrical system for heating and cooking is completely unrealistic. The NDP is still talking about the Dubai COP28 nonsense of mass-electrification of BC with a power generation supply that doesn’t exist. The NDP announcement describes improving transmission lines which is important, but nowhere was there an answer for improved capacity to meet their green dreams.To be blunt, there is serious doubt BC will be able to keep people warm in winter with their lights on, or will be able to provide air conditioning on demand in summer. Again, it looks like leftie ideology before pragmatic reality: for years to come, reality says communities need a balanced flexible system that uses a mix of generating sources to meet the need.The NDP’s latest announcement lacks credibility. Micro-local generation along with windmills cannot meet their promises. When the public experiences an electrical supply shortage, there will be no denying the need for significant generation needed from all sources including more hydro generation, natural gas turbines and perhaps even nuclear generation. So far it looks like the BC government is planning to leave us in the cold.

FORSETH: When it comes to electrification, nobody believes BC's NDP any more

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