LOGAN LAKE - BC Hydro's Power Smart Industrial Program has resulted in tremendous energy savings for Highland Valley Copper of Logan Lake. The largest Power Smart project undertaken in 2001 has resulted in energy savings of 23 million kilowatt hours (kWh), enough energy to power approximately 2,300 B.C. homes.

This results-based, business-to-business program helps improve Highland Valley's competitiveness and provides low-priced electricity back to BC Hydro, to help meet our other customers needs. The Power Smart Industrial program and other Power Smart initiatives have saved 2,500 gigawatt hours per year since 1989, enough to light the City of Surrey, Power Smart helps BC Hydro meet demand, and is key initiative in delaying and possibly offsetting the need to build new large generation sources.

"In cooperation with BC Hydro, we were able to seize a window of opportunity that permitted us to complete the pipeline project and become more energy efficient and better able to compete globally," said Highland Valley Copper's Dal Scott.

The Power Smart Industrial Program was launched by BC Hydro last spring as a "win-win" to encourage large industrial customers to identify and implement energy savings. The program gave customers the opportunity to submit their energy saving project ideas to BC Hydro and request an incentive that would enable the project to proceed. Highland Valley Copper was the first customer to submit a proposal under Hydro's Power Smart Industrial Program in April 2001.

"Highland Valley Copper achieved these savings by reducing friction losses in their reclaim water system by extending a 41 inch pipeline by 2.6l kilometres," said BC Hydro's Key Account Manager, Bill MacMillan. "This allowed them to reduce power used in the pumping of the water by more than 2,000 kW, pump down the depth of their tailings pond and reduce the future cost of tailings dam construction. Altogether, the changes that Highland has made will result in monetary savings of more than $6 million and includes a green component from reducing the amount of diesel fuel needed for future dam construction."