Plutonic Power Corp-oration is in a state of flux after a ruling by the BC Utilities Commission (BCUC). The BCUC has rejected BC Hydro's call for 3,000 gigawatts of power from independent power producers such as Plutonic.
Elisha McCallum, Pluton-ic's director of communications, said the company is awaiting formal next steps from BC Hydro or the provincial government about what this means for the call process. She said in the meantime, Blair Lekstrom, BC Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources, has been clear that he is still supportive of the industry and that he was surprised by the ruling, "as were we."
"But there isn't a formal statement that we are going to be able to provide until we know what this means for us moving forward," McCallum said.
Lekstrom said over the coming weeks, the government will be reviewing the BCUC decision to ensure "BC Hydro has the flexibility to meet B.C.'s energy plan and climate change goals."He added this will require a significant and growing supply of clean, renewable energy.
Since the ruling, Plutonic shares have fallen on the stock market. McCallum said as much as she would like to provide some clarity for shareholders, until it is known what the BCUC ruling is going to encompass, any comment that anyone makes about the next steps would be speculative.
The company's run-of-river project in Toba Inlet, currently under construction, will proceed. The call rejected by BCUC includes installations in the Upper Toba Valley and in Bute Inlet, a project that dwarfs the Toba projects.
The BCUC's 236-page ruling, which followed several months of hearings on the merits of BC Hydro's long-term acquisition plan, was seen by most as a challenge to the ruling B.C. Liberals' energy plan and a blow to the independent power industry, which has signed some $31 billion in private power contracts with BC Hydro to date.
In its ruling, the BCUC refused to endorse BC Hydro's long-term call for 3,000 gigawatts of power from public and private power producers, arguing that the power won't be needed if more is done to promote conservation.
The Western Canada Wilderness Committee (WCWC), which has been railing against the "gold-rush" B.C. Liberal energy policy for the past decade, hailed the BCUC decision as being best for the ratepayers and the environment but also raised concerns with portions, most notably its support for the continued use of the fossil-fuel Burrard Thermal power plant.
"For people concerned about the potential impact of hundreds of diversion projects on our rivers and streams, this is good news," the WCWC's Andrew Radzik said in a statement. "BCUC wants more work on conservation, which they think will prove more cost-effective for ratepayers. That's good news for our environment and our pocketbooks."
B.C. Citizens for Green Energy are speaking out in support of changes at the BCUC following what they describe as a "shocking" decision.
"The BCUC should be supporting the people's vision for a cleaner, greener energy future, not turning its back on what the people are demanding," said co-spokesperson David Field. "The people want action on climate change. The people of B.C. clearly expressed their wishes, no demands, for clean, green, renewable energy they want to see being developed in this province and the provincial government has clearly responded with the legislation and vision to make this happen. It's appalling that the BCUC chose to ignore these demands and visions for action on climate change."
- With files from Dave Burke, Whistler Question
