BC Hydro, a utility owned by the Canadian province of British Columbia, is inviting power developers in BC to submit proposals for new green energy generation projects.
BC Hydro will review the proposals to determine whether they meet the company’s criteria for green power, which includes being renewable, socially responsible, licensable, and having a low environmental impact. The call for proposals is linked to BC Hydro’s Integrated Electricity Plan (IEP) Update, which outlines that 10%of all BC Hydro’s new generation resource acquisitions will be new green resources, such as small hydro and wood waste. Proposals should have the financial capability to succeed, have credible operating projections of output, and assurance that socio-economic benefits and environmental issues have been addressed. Project emphasis should be on providing green resources energy at a competitive commercial value.
BC Hydro estimates that it has enough resources to meet projected electricity demand for at least the next five to seven years. However, by 2007, BC Hydro will need to acquire new resources in order to meet customers’ needs. The IEP identifies combined cycle gas turbines as that resource, complemented by the 10% green resources energy acquisition. The 10% new green resources energy commitment will translate to an average of 15MW per year, or 1100-1200GWh by 2010.