Hon. Rich Coleman, Minister of Energy, Mines and Natural Gas Resources, has indicated that BC Hydro will submit their 20-year Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) on August 3, 2012, eight months later than originally planned.The Clean Energy Act, introduced in 2010, required that BC Hydro submit an IRP within 18 months of the act coming into force, or by Dec. 2, 2011. In May 2011, this due date was extended by one year so that BC Hydro could include any new direction from government’s review.
Government, liquefied natural gas (LNG) proponents and BC Hydro are currently negotiating electricity-supply agreements. By extending the submission date of the IRP, government, LNG proponents and BC Hydro will have time and flexibility to complete these agreements, giving greater certainty for fu-ture volume and timing of LNG electricity requirements.
The government’s BC Jobs Plan, released in 2011, calls for proposed LNG export facilities currently proposed for Kitimat to be supplied by ‘clean’ energy. Minister Coleman said the four companies considering LNG development in BC are still in-tent on moving ahead and the negotiations on how those facilities would be pow-ered are expected to be concluded in the next couple of months. |