BC HYDRO
BC Hydro is filing its final plans for the fall of 2005 open call for energy with its regulator, The BC Utilities Commission (BCUC). The call - part of the 2005 Resource Expenditure and Acquisition Plan (REAP) - has been revised so that the likely outcome is a minimum of 1800 gigawatt-hours per year (GWh/yr) of new supply. This is expected to come from a combination of large projects (800 GWh/yr of firm energy and up to 800 GWh/yr of associated "non-firm" energy) and small projects (200GWh/yr). In addition, BC Hydro has allowed for the option of accepting even more energy - where it is economic to do so - to help address implications of the loss of associated energy from the Duke Point project.
"We believe the most prudent approach is to remain open to acquiring power over and above our target from this call as it will assist us in meeting our purpose to provide reliable power, at low cost for generations," said Bev Van Ruyven, BC Hyrdo's Senior Vice President, Distribution.
"The call design process has included regional dialogue sessions with more than 200 Independent Power Producers (IPPs), stakeholders and First Nations, who submitted comments for our consideration. As a result of this input, BC Hydro is confident there will be strong response to the call, and healthy competition."
BC Hydro plans to issue the next call after approval by the BCUC, something that is expected in Fall 2005. The Call will be "open" to all proven technologies (except nuclear) and will include firm and non-firm energy. For the purposes of this call, firm energy is electricity that IPPs can commit to delivering on a monthly basis, while non-firm energy is less predictable and may fluctuate over time.
"This call will build on the positive history of energy acquisition through IPPs and move us closer to our goal of electrical self-sufficiency," added Van Ruyven. "BC Hydro's acquisition activities since 2000 have been successful with thirty-nine electricity purchase agreements continuing to provide for the delivery of more than 2,800 GWh/yr of energy to BC's integrated system. This volume is enough to provide enough power for roughly 280,000 homes."
The detailed information
regarding the upcoming Open Call for Power can be viewed on BC Hydro's
website at www.bchydro.com.
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