Canada: British Columbia Utilities Commission Alternative to Hydro Project Includes 81 MW Geothermal

British Columbia Utilities Commission - Inquiry Respecting Site C Executive Summary of the Final Report to the Government of British Columbia (BCUC)

The British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) is not persuaded that the Site C project will remain on schedule for a November 2024 in-service date. The Panel also finds that the project is not within the proposed budget of $8.335 billion. Currently, completion costs may be in excess of $10 billion.

The Panel is of the view that BC Hydro’s Alternative Portfolio was not the lowest cost portfolio. We directed Commission staff to develop a draft Illustrative Alternative Portfolio and sought comment from parties.

The Panel believes increasingly viable alternative energy sources such as wind, geothermal and industrial curtailment could provide similar benefits to ratepayers as the Site C project with an equal or lower Unit Energy Cost.

The Commission Staff’s Illustrative Alternative Portfolio includes approximately 81 MW of geothermal starting in 2025.

Read the report (PDF).........