Letter to Editor from John Horgan -- Artificial panic over power
Vancouver Sun
Feb. 10, 2010
Artificial panic over power
By John Horgan
Re: Electricity costs tied to arbitrary self-sufficiency policy, Feb. 4
Craig McInnes hit the nail on the head in debunking the B.C. Liberals' energy self-sufficiency myth. By declaring B.C. must become electricity self-sufficient by 2016, the Liberals have created a panic market that seeks to justify an agenda of privatization.
Over the last eight years, B.C. has been a net exporter of electricity. Increasing our province's capacity to generate electricity will simply increase our ability to sell it out of province.
As the government created this arbitrary need for self-sufficiency, it tied BC Hydro's hands by disallowing it from building any new capacity itself; all new power must come from private corporations. BC Hydro is being forced to sign long-term contracts to buy this private power at rates far above what it will be able to sell it for. This is a massive subsidy of multinational corporations.
Sadly, the result will be a huge debt and higher hydro bills for everyone.
John Horgan
Opposition Energy Critic,
Victoria
