BC will need much more electricity sooner than expected: government

British Columbia will need much more electricity sooner than expected: government

Eye of the Wind, a wind turbine and observation tower, atop Grouse Mountain. (Shutterstock)

With the acceleration of the electrification of transportation and building systems, as well as a growing population and economy, there is a growing demand for electricity capacity in British Columbia.

And as it turns out, according to newly released updated demand forecasts by BC Hydro and BC Utilities Commission, this province will need more sources of electricity sooner than previously expected.

This even takes into account the new capacity that will be gained for the BC Hydro grid in late 2025, when the Site C hydroelectric dam reaches completion and all six generating units go into full operation. The $16-billion dam will have an output capacity of 1,100 megawatts or enough power for the equivalent of 450,000 homes or 1.7 million battery-electric cars.

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Although Site C’s construction was already well underway, it was seriously considered for cancellation shortly after the BC NDP came into provincial power in 2017. But they ultimately made the decision to continue with the project that same year given the multibillion-dollar costs associated with cancellation, without anything to show for it.

According to the provincial government, electrical demand will increase by 15% between now and 2030.

With the need for more capacity now becoming highly apparent, BC Hydro will make its first call for power in 15 years, and the new process will aim for larger, utility-scale projects that generate significant electricity.

With climate impacts also being a key priority, BC Hydro will only acquire 100% clean, renewable electricity, such as hydro, wind, and solar.

The call for power process will be designed by BC Hydro and the provincial government in close collaboration with First Nations, including identifying potential ways for Indigenous participation, ownership, and benefits.

Additionally, the provincial government will provide $140 million to support Indigenous-led electricity projects, which may not be competitive due to their smaller size.

“As we face the threat of a record fire season across Canada, the need to switch to clean power to fight climate change has never felt more urgent. The good news is that from electric cars to electrified heavy industry, British Columbians are taking action,” said Premier David Eby. “To guarantee the affordable power for this important transition, we’re working in partnership with First Nations and BC Hydro to generate more of the clean electricity that British Columbia needs to build our economy, and grow our role as a clean-energy superpower.”

site c hydroelectric dam bc construction march 2023

March 2023 construction progress on the Site C hydroelectric dam. (BC Hydro)

BC Hydro’s call for proposals will launch in Spring 2024, and contracts will be awarded in Spring/Summer 2025. Implementation and construction would subsequently occur.

BC Hydro is expected to acquire new sources of electricity as early as 2028, just three years after the completion of Site C. It also notes it may make more calls for additional power shortly after.

This call is expected to provide BC Hydro with about 3,000 gigawatt hours (GWh) of additional electricity each year. For comparison, Site C will produce about 5,100 GWh annually.

With an ever-increasing dependency on a single energy source, it appears the reliability and resiliency of electricity is a growing priority for the provincial government and the utility.

Homes, businesses, and industries have increasingly been transitioning to using electricity instead of fossil fuels, such as natural gas for heating needs. Within homes, for instance, the number of heat pumps and electric-powered appliances, and other utilities continues to grow.

In transportation, the number of electric-battery cars on the road continues to grow, ahead of BC and Canada’s legislated target of reaching 100% zero-emission sales for new light-duty vehicles by 2035. In 2022, 18% of new car sales in the province were electric-battery models — a significant increase from just 0.8% in 2015.

The number of registered light-duty electric cars has increased from 5,000 in 2016 to over 100,000 today.

TransLink is also ending its practice of acquiring fossil fuel-powered buses for Metro Vancouver’s public transit system. By the end of this decade, its electric-battery bus fleet for both aging diesel replacements and service expansion will grow to nearly 500 vehicles.

To mitigate excess demand and preserve supply, last year, BC Hydro temporarily suspended new power connections for cryptocurrency mining businesses, which use very significant energy for their complex computing processes. At the time of the suspension, there were 21 applications to open new cryptocurrency mining businesses, which would have a combined total power consumption of 1,403 megawatts — wiping out the capacity gained from Site C.

TransLink’s first new Nova LFSEe+ electric-battery bus being charged at the bus loop at SkyTrain 22nd Street Station. (TransLink)

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