B.C. power project hits another roadblock

Justine Hunter, Globe and Mail, November 23, 2009

Run of River Power Inc. is searching for a buyer for output from Metro Vancouver project

Victoria — A run-of-the-river power project in Metro Vancouver, having achieved the distinction of uniting the New Democrat Party and the B.C. Liberals in opposition, has met with another major setback.

The Upper Pitt hasn't made the short list for a clean energy call from BC Hydro.

The proponents, Run of River Power Inc., insist they haven't abandoned hope but Environment Minister Barry Penner said Sunday that without a buyer for its power, he doesn't expect to see the company will have much cause to try to revive the stalled environmental assessment process.

“I think it's unlikely that project will be approved,” Mr. Penner said.

Mr. Penner's government has given a green light to 76 private run-of-the-river power projects since 2001, and in the last provincial election, the NDP used that record to claim that the Liberals are selling B.C.'s rivers to private interests.

But in the face of strong community opposition to the Upper Pitt project, which would put small dams and turbines on several tributaries of the Pitt River, Mr. Penner halted an environmental review process on the Upper Pitt project last year, saying he would not approve a power line through Pinecone Burke Provincial Park.

Mr. Penner said the proponents can revive the review process if they come up with an alternative route for the power, but the process has essentially stalled since his intervention.

However in a news release, Run of River Power Inc. stated last week it intends to pursue the project to prepare for BC Hydro's next call for power.

The Crown corporation is under pressure to increase its supply of carbon-neutral electricity to meet self-sufficiency targets for the province. The run-of-river projects are billed as green energy, but often run into opposition because of their impact on fish habitat.

Michael Sather, the NDP MLA for Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows, called on Mr. Penner to give his community a clear message that the Upper Pitt project is finished because of its threat to salmon.

“I hope it's dead, but I don't know,” Mr. Sather said. “To put the stake through it, the government has to be unequivocal that this is not going ahead.”

In April of 2008, more than 1,000 people showed up at a public hearing on the proposal, demonstrating significant interest for a wilderness fishing river that is not easily accessed without a floatplane or boat.

Mr. Sather noted that the proposed project is just close enough to the urban population, however, for opponents of run-of-the-river projects to mobilize.

Further out in the Fraser Valley, a similar project went into operation this fall with very little fanfare. The independent power project on the Upper Harrison started collecting revenues from BC Hydro late in October.

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