[加拿大新聞] Alternative energy sources as good or better than Site C dam, report finds

Quest

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/br ... ort-finds-1.4382106

Alternative energy sources such as wind and geothermal could be as good or better for B.C. ratepayers than the Site C project, according to a report prepared by the independent B.C. Utilities Commission (BCUC).

• Read the report

The independent body, which is responsible for making sure British Columbians pay fair rates for energy and ICBC costs, also found BC Hydro's projected energy needs are "excessively optimistic" and construction of the dam is likely behind schedule and over budget.

Other key findings include:

• Cancelling the project would cost $1.8 billion.
• Suspending the project and restarting it at a later date would cost around $3.6 billion.
• Completing the project could cost over $10 billion.

The BCUC also notes that both completing and continuing the project come with their own unique risks.

The report will play a key role in determining the future of the $8.8 billion megaproject in northeast B.C., which currently employs over 2,000 people in its construction and has been the subject of court challenges and political actions by Treaty 8 First Nations and local ranchers whose land is impacted by the project.

Prep work for construction of the Site C dam takes place in 2016. The dam would flood 5,500 hectares of the Peace River Valley if completed, and provide energy to power the equivalent of around 500,000 homes. (Justin McElroy/CBC)

The report was prepared over the course of two months, during which time the BCUC held community input sessions across the province and reviewed reports on Site C compiled by BC Hydro and the auditing firm Deloitte LLP.

• Cheaper to cancel Site C dam than delay B.C. megaproject until 2025, report says

The review looked specifically at whether the dam was on track for completion by 2024, and what effect continuing, stalling, or cancelling the project would have on ratepayers.

It was commissioned by the new NDP provincial government, who argued the B.C. Liberals should have sent Site C for review in 2010 when then-premier Gordon Campbell announced the dam was once again on the table.

The project was scrapped in the 1980s after a BCUC report found it would not be necessary to meet projected energy needs.

The government said once the report was complete it would examine aspects of the dam outside the BCUC's scope and consult with First Nations before making a final decision sometime by the end of the year.