Renewable energy and sustainable jobs for rural BC

BC Hydro and BC Transmission Corporation will remain Crown corporations under public ownership under a BC Liberal government. If the Site C hydro project ultimately goes ahead, after extensive environmental reviews and public consultation processes, it will do so as a public asset, owned by BC Hydro. The same is true of major upgrades in transmission lines as we move to a new generation of smart electricity grids throughout the province. BC Hydro, its dams and its generation facilities are heritage assets which will be kept in public ownership.

New generation or transmission capacity, like the proposed Highway 37 transmission line and new clean independent power projects will be built with new private sector investments that transfer risks from the taxpayer to those investors. At the same time, new measures like in-home metering, smart grids and LiveSmartBC energy efficiency incentives will be implemented to help meet our goal of becoming electricity self-sufficient by 2016. Fifty per cent of all incremental electricity demand from now until 2020 will be met through increased conservation, and at least 90 per cent of all of our electricity will be from clean, renewable sources.

We will move BC from being a net importer of dirty coal power from the United States and elsewhere, to a model of clean, renewable power that reduces regional greenhouse gas emissions on all sides of our borders. We will maintain our competitive advantage from low cost heritage power, for residential and industrial users alike.