B.C. introduces Clean Energy Act with feed-in-tariff and expedited projects

The Government of B.C. introduced Bill 17, a new Clean Energy Act, to the B.C. Legislature on Wednesday, April 28. B.C. Energy Minister Blair Lekstrom said the legislation would encourage the development of renewable energy in the province, and help to ensure it is self-sufficient in energy by 2016.
The bill is comprehensive and sweeping in scope. It has 16 energy objectives, including “streamlined approval processes,” and a commitment to clean and renewable electricity generation. It also proposes a Feed-in-Tariff program and would give BC Hydro permission to enter into long-term sales contracts for green technology investments as a way of encouraging a stable green energy market.
The bill proposes replacing the current multitude of planning process with a long-term integrated plan. It also proposes consolidating BC Hydro and the BC Transmission Corporation into one utility “to provide a single point of planning and authority to deliver the government’s clean energy vision.”
It states a commitment to smart meters and smart grids, as well as to greater conservation and efficiency.
A press release also said that the goal is to ensure that certain planned projects are not subject “to unnecessary lengthy and costly processes before the B.C. Utilities Commission.” The projects which the government refers to include the 900-MW Site C Clean Energy Project on the Peace River, the Northwest Transmission Line, Mica units 5 and 6, Revelstoke unit 6 and the Feed-in-Tariff Program.
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