Vaughn Palmer: Hydro postpones filling Website C reservoir for an additional 12 months

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VICTORIA — B.C. Hydro has been pressured to desert its plan to fill the Website C reservoir this fall, owing to some main unfinished enterprise on the hydroelectric dam on the Peace River.

Characteristically, the government-owned utility introduced the choice in a information launch the place it tried to faux it was business-as-usual on the troubled mission.

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“The method to start out reservoir filling on the Website C mission will start, on schedule, in 2024,” was the headline on the discharge.

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Then got here the precise information: “B.C. Hydro had been engaged on the choice of beginning reservoir filling this fall, one 12 months sooner than scheduled. Nonetheless, there are some vital work areas that also must be accomplished earlier than reservoir filling might start, together with the strategy channel, spillway gates and powerhouse consumption gates.

“With winter climate and colder situations setting in, the window to soundly start reservoir filling was coming to a detailed. In consequence, B.C. Hydro has made the prudent determination to remain on observe with its present mission schedule.”

The information introduced an finish to a plan that Hydro had been touting since late final 12 months, when it instructed that the Website C building schedule was sufficiently superior to permit an early begin on filling the reservoir.

That remained the intention all year long as B.C. Hydro eradicated impediment after impediment.

Development of the earth-fill dam itself was accomplished on the finish of July. The diversion tunnels had been efficiently tailored to the reservoir-filling plan by the tip of summer season as nicely. All the required regulatory permits had been in place.

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As just lately as the tip of September, Hydro suggested its regulatory overseer, the B.C. Utilities Fee, that “all operational necessities” had been anticipated to be in place to permit “the filling of the reservoir this fall.”

That, in flip, was anticipated to permit Hydro to activate the primary of six items within the producing station sooner than the scheduled in-service date of December 2024.

However as September gave approach to October, the plan was in bother. Filling the reservoir would take 4 full months. Winter was coming. And time was working out.

Simply final week, Inexperienced celebration MLA Adam Olsen requested Vitality Minister Josie Osborne: “When will B.C. Hydro start flooding the dam and filling the reservoir?”

Osborne hedged.

“Proper now, B.C. Hydro is making a willpower as to when they’ll be capable of flood the reservoir and start the work of activating the generators and delivering clear electrical energy to British Columbia,” she suggested the legislature on Nov. 7.

“As quickly as now we have that data, we are going to share it with the member and all members of this home.”

As a substitute, Hydro broke the information itself on Tuesday this week, citing the necessity to full work on the strategy channel, spillway gates and consumption gates on the powerhouse.

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Not talked about was an element that prompted Olsen’s query within the legislature.

“I simply realized that 24 lively bear dens are going to be flooded very shortly, and those that are attempting to guard the bear dens are struggling to seek out out when precisely the dam shall be flooded,” he suggested the home.

Olsen’s change with Osborne additionally triggered a chippy change in regards to the potential influence on the price range and building schedule for Website C.

To not fear, insisted the vitality minister.

“Website C stays on observe to be accomplished inside the accredited $16-billion price range,” stated Osborne. “However let’s not overlook that the previous authorities rushed to push Website C previous the purpose of no return, and that price billions of {dollars} with out correct oversight. We had been left to handle this mission that we inherited.”

That was an excessive amount of for Olsen. “This authorities has managed the value proper by way of the roof,” he countered.

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The Website C price range was $8 billion when the New Democrats took workplace. They’ve since boosted it to $10.7 billion, then $16 billion.

One of many principal elements within the second escalation was the price of rectifying a geotechnical instability within the foundations of the mission.

The New Democrats found the issue in late 2019, however saved the main points and price implications below wraps till after that they had secured a majority within the snap election within the fall of 2020.

Neither is Website C out of the woods immediately. Hydro’s most up-to-date replace to the BCUC acknowledged that the protection, scope, schedule, price, environmental standing and total well being of the mission stay within the “amber” zone — that means there are nonetheless vital dangers to be managed.

Nonetheless, this week’s information launch continued Hydro’s observe of sustaining that every one is nicely.

“Work on the Website C mission will proceed to advance on schedule and be prepared for filling to start subsequent fall. The mission stays on-track to realize first energy in 2024, have all six producing items in-service by 2025, and be accomplished inside the accredited price range.”

Truly, Website C is a 12 months delayed and 100 per cent over price range.

However in Hydrospeak, that interprets to “on observe and inside the price range.” As for ready till subsequent 12 months to fill the reservoir, nicely, that they had at all times meant to try this.

vpalmer@postmedia.com

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