Fracking B.C. Liberals still sucking us dry

Premier Christy Clark announced a new provincial energy strategy Friday that moves away from BC Hydro's self-sufficiency targets in favour of a new liquefied natural gas [LNG] industry that has the potential to attract new businesses, new jobs and an estimated $20 billion in new investments to the province....

The cornerstone of the strategy is the establishment of three LNG plants at Kitimat by 2020. Two proposals have already received export permits - a consortium led by Apache Energy and a partnership including the Haisla First Nation. The third is by Shell Canada, which recently purchased a site for a plant at Kitimat.

The plants require huge amounts of energy to liquefy the gas by cooling it to -160 C so it can be transported off-shore by ship. One LNG plant alone would consume as much power as the three paper mills operated by Catalyst Paper, the largest energy user in the province.

To power them, the government intends to abandon BC Hydro's long-held strategy of planning its hydroelectric generation around so-called critical water - the amount of water needed behind the dams to get the province through years of drought. The new standard will be average water - enough in reservoirs to meet the needs in average years. During periods of drought, the province would buy energy on the open market, likely from Alberta or Washington....

The [so-called] clean energy sector came out with qualified support for the new direction, saying the government's commitment to combine green power with natural gas-fired power will benefit the sector....

Nicholas Heap, B.C. regional director for the Canadian Wind Energy Association, also applauded the focus on green energy, adding that he is looking forward to new calls for proposals from BC Hydro for that energy....

Apprentice Jeff Needham, one of 22 students taking the four-year energy program at BCIT, said the development of an LNG industry will lead to better prices for gas producers, assuring him of a job in the gas fields when he graduates.

"It's great news for us," said Needham, who works for Apache at Dawson Creek. "With natural gas prices the way they are, a lot of companies don't really want to pay the money to bring the gas to the surface. Now that we will have a better market overseas, that's going to obviously drive more drilling. The jobs will be there for sure."