Dear Editor:
British Columbia’s population is expected to reach 4.6 million this year (2012). That’s 1.7 million more people living in this province than there were in 1984 when the last major hydro dam was built.
To put that population increase into perspective, it’s the same as adding three and a half new cities the size of Surrey in less than 30 years. And these people all need electricity to power their lives.
Back in 1984, B.C. had power to spare and the province was able to export power and generate revenue to help pay for public services like healthcare and education.
But that’s no longer the case a B.C. barely has enough generating capacity to meet demand now. And during most of the past decade the province has had to import power to supply the shortfall.
There’s no question energy efficient appliances and devices, and other energy conservation efforts, have helped ease the burden on the province’s hydro dams over the past 30 years.
But it should be obvious hydro dams built to supply three million people, with a bit extra for export, can’t supply the energy needs of 4.6 million people indefinitely regardless of how many conservation measures and energy efficiencies are implemented.
The time has, therefore, come to add a significant amount of new generating capacity to the legacy dams we received from previous generations and to avail ourselves of the many technological innovations that have occurred in the energy sector over the past three decades.
Wind, run-of-river, and solar energy have all made quantum leaps in recent years and all can help to meet B.C.’s power needs with increasingly negligible impacts. B.C.’s population will undoubtedly continue to increase in the coming years, so the sooner we get on with things the sooner B.C. can get back to being a power exporter rather than a power importer.
Christopher Law
Coquitlam, B.C.
