BC Conservatives would reverse BC NDP's electrification policies

Charging stations for electric-battery vehicles (left) and rooftop solar panels at Vancouver Film Studios (right). (VisualArtStudio/Shutterstock | Vancouver Film Studios)

Ambitious electrification strategies mandated by the BC NDP-led provincial government for transportation and building systems would be reversed by the Conservative Party of BC.

In their energy platform, the BC Conservatives state they would end the BC NDP’s requirement to have 100% of new light-duty vehicle sales in British Columbia be zero-emission models by 2035.

In 2023, due in part to BC already being well ahead of the original schedule of interim targets, the BC NDP accelerated the interim goals to 26% by 2026, 90% by 2030, and 100% by 2035. For 2023, BC achieved a rate of 23%, which is completely led by the accelerating adoption of battery-electric vehicles.

As well, electrification requirements for buildings, such as heating systems, would be abolished under the BC Conservatives.

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The BC Conservatives charge that BC Hydro’s electrical grid does not have the capacity to accommodate the extra demand from government policies that accelerate electrification, in addition to population and economic growth.

In 2023, BC Hydro first announced it would need much more electricity supply much sooner than anticipated — even after accounting for the supply gained from the scheduled 2025 completion and operation of the $16-billion Site C hydroelectric dam, which will have an output capacity of 1,100 megawatts (MW) or enough power for the equivalent of 450,000 homes or 1.7 million battery-electric cars.

According to BC Hydro, the province’s electrical demand will increase by 15% between 2023 and and 2030.

In January 2024, the province’s electric utility announced a $36 billion plan to improve the reliability and capacity of its electrical network over the next 10 years, such as major projects to build new additional substations and transmission lines in urban centres seeing major residential growth.

“We need to stop pretending that pie-in-the-sky mandates will power our future. The NDP’s ideological approach is pushing BC towards energy dependence, where we’ll be importing power at higher rates instead of producing it here at home,” said BC Conservatives party leader John Rustad in a statement.

“David Eby wants to increase power demand while ignoring the fact that we don’t have the infrastructure to supply it. His mandates for electric vehicles and heat pumps are outpacing our grid’s capacity, and it’s British Columbians who will pay the price with higher bills and potential power shortages.”

BC Hydro has indicated that by as early as 2028, it will need to acquire additional electrical supply equivalent to 60% of the capacity of Site C, with the new supply coming from 100% clean, renewable sources, specifically wind, solar, and hydro.

However, the BC Conservatives have noted that they would also consider building new natural gas facilities and study the feasibility of nuclear power plants.

Similarly, Alberta’s electric utility is in the early stages of planning to diversify its energy sources by introducing nuclear electricity, specifically through the use of small modular reactors — like those set to begin construction in Ontario in 2025.

Such measures would return BC to “energy independence,” suggests Rustad.

“The Conservative Party will make sure BC has the power it needs — affordable, reliable, and homegrown. It’s time for leadership that’s willing to face reality and take action to secure our energy future.”

The provincial general election is scheduled for October 19, 2024.

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