BC Hydro to add wind farms to provincial power grid
Three agreements were announced recently for new developments near West Kelowna, Summerland and Taylor that will provide enough electricity to power 14,000 homes a year.
The agreements, with White Rock-based developer Zero Emission Energy Developments Inc., were signed under BC Hydro’s Standing Offer program – a program that offers a simplified, streamlined procurement process for small clean energy projects in British Columbia.
The three projects will add about 45 megawatts of clean wind capacity to BC HydroÂ’s system. Once built, the projects will bring BC HydroÂ’s total capacity of wind power to more than 700 megawatts.
Construction is scheduled to start late spring or early summer and will take about 18 months. Construction for each project will create between 25 and 50 job opportunities.
BC Hydro now has energy purchase agreements for 20 projects under the Standing Offer program that include solar, wind, biomass, biogas and hydro power. To be eligible, projects must be 15 megawatts or less in size.
Related News
Idaho Power Settlement Could Close Coal Plant, Raise Rates
IDAHO - State regulators have set a May 25 deadline for public comment on a proposed settlement related to the early closure of a coal-fired plant co-owned by Idaho Power.
The settlement calls for shuttering Unit 1 of the North Valmy Power Plant in Nevada in 2019, with Unit 2 closing in 2025. The units had been slated for closure in 2031 and 2035, respectively.
If approved by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission, the settlement would increase base rates by approximately $13.3 million, or 1.17 percent, in order to allow the company to recover its investment in the plant on an accelerated basis.
That equates to an additional $1.20 on the monthly…
