BC Conservatives choose nuclear power as part of ‘energy independence’ plan

British Columbia Conservatives Choose Nuclear in Their Push for ‘Energy Independence’ in British Columbia

Unveiling his energy platform on Tuesday, BC Conservative Leader John Rustad said his party would amend B.C.’s Clean Energy Act to allow nuclear power in the province.

The party says it will also begin a review of small modular reactors and seismic safety, with the goal of building the province’s first nuclear power plant by 2035.

“It’s time for us to have an open and honest conversation about how we meet our needs not only today, but tomorrow,” Rustad said.

“We will need additional energy in B.C. It’s a simple fact. We don’t have enough of them to meet our demands, least of all future ones.

With the nuclear proposal, Rustad would reverse what he calls the NDP’s “radical” goals for electric vehicles and heat pumps.

The BC NDP has passed legislation requiring all new vehicles sold in BC to be net-zero emissions by 2035.

The NDP also proposed plans to close the province’s last gas-fired power plant and ban the installation of stand-alone gas home heating systems by 2030. The NDP plan would allow the introduction of new forms of gas heating as long as it is 100% energy efficient, such as a dual-fuel system that includes a heat pump.

“We have to be realistic about what we will create when it comes to these demands,” Rustad said.

“For example, today, when the NDP government says they want every household to have a heat pump or that everyone should have an electric vehicle, we don’t have the ability to generate the electricity to do that.”

The Conservatives say they will “consider all energy sources” and have previously said they would power northwestern British Columbia with new gas and wood waste-fired power plants.

The party says it will also analyze the business case for geothermal energy and explore wind and solar energy “when economics make sense.”

Popular now

• Iran fires missiles at Israel, further escalating the conflict in the Middle East

• Intelligence report says “salad bar extremism” has reached Canada.

The NDP quickly responded, arguing that BC Hydro is already legally committed to energy independence and that natural gas would still be allowed for home heating under the proposed changes.

The party said electricity rate increases have remained below inflation for the past six years and argued that nuclear power is five to 10 times more expensive than renewable alternatives such as solar and wind power.

Conservatives argue that solar and wind cannot provide baseload power in the same way as hydro and nuclear.

Meanwhile, the BC Greens have promised to invest $20 million a year in small-scale solar projects with a goal of having them power 15% of the grid by 2035. The party says it will ban the use of BC Hydro assets for liquefied natural gas projects, subsidize electric heat pumps for low-income households and set sales targets for medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles.

Last year, BC Hydro imported electricity representing about 20 per cent of its total demand as ongoing drought led to reservoir levels being lower than usual.

Currently, about 87 per cent of British Columbia’s electricity comes from hydropower.

Earlier this year, BC Hydro announced the first in a series of calls for new private wind and solar producers with the goal of adding 40 to 200 megawatts to the grid by 2028.

The Crown Corporation estimates it will need another 3,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually to meet growing electricity demand.

© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.