Conway stated that the Site C power would only be needed in a 20- to 40-year period, indicating that a shorter-term demand for electricity is now unfounded.
Previous comments made on behalf of B.C. Hydro several years ago stated a need for the power within a five- to 10-year period. That changed more recently, when Hydro suggested the necessity for electricity from Site C would be required in a 10- to 20-year period.
So, what is the real need or demand for this project? If the province required power in the next 20 to 40 years, why the rush for a Site C? It is unrealistic for Hydro to make such long-range and expensive assertions. In 2015, B.C. Hydro paid $17.5 million to eight independent power producers not to produce 300 gigawatt-hours of electricity. Clearly, there was no demand or need.
By Hydro’s own admissions now, the Site C dam will lose $800 million in the first four years of operation due to unneeded power. What they don’t tell us is what happens in the fifth, sixth or following years until we hit the benchmark of 20 to 40 years.
The pattern suggests we will continue to pay mightily for a $9.6-billion boondoggle of a project, regardless of any realistic need.
Rick Koechl
Mike Kroecher
Charlie Lake, B.C.
