I appreciated the editorial by Kennedy Gordon, published online on Jan. 24 (BC could be importing electricity).
My only significant quibble is with the headline. BC Hydro has already been importing large amounts of electricity in the past two years on a net basis (we have been importing about eight times more than we have been exporting).
The latest figures show BC Hydro imported approximately 20 per cent of its electricity requirements in 2024 (9,808 gigawatt hours net) for the second year in a row, following 2023 imports of 10,739 gigawatt hours net.
According to BC Hydro’s Fiscal 2024 Annual Report to the BC Utilities Commission, the annual cost of imported electricity reached $1.4 billion.
This means that for two years we’ve imported an amount of electricity roughly equivalent to the output of two Site C dams, mostly from south of the border where the majority of their electricity generation comes from natural gas or coal-fired power plants.
Under the CleanBC policy, municipalities are encouraged to restrict the use of natural gas for heating in new residential and commercial buildings in favour of greater use of electric heat pumps.
Already adopted by Vancouver, Victoria and some other communities in southwest BC, this change to the building code will become mandatory province-wide by 2030.
The CleanBC policy has also resulted in provincial mandates requiring 26 per cent electric vehicle (EV) sales by the 2026 model year, rising to 90 per cent by the 2030 model year (and 100 per cent by 2035). These mandates are backed by a $20,000 penalty for every vehicle that does not comply.
A study conducted last year for the Energy Futures Initiative found that it will require the equivalent of two site dams worth of electricity to support 100 per cent EVs on BC’s roads.
The cumulative impact of these policies is to drive up domestic electricity demand, leaving us more vulnerable due to BC’s current dependence on electricity imports ... especially as a possible trade war looms with the United States.
Let’s hope cooler heads prevail and we have time to adjust our policies.
Barry Penner is a former BC cabinet minister and the current chair of the Energy Futures Institute.
