B.C. premier announces $36B plan to expand electricity system to meet industrial demands

Premier David Eby has announced a push to expand the province's electricity system that could see billions in extra spending on infrastructure projects.

Eby made the announcement at the B.C. Natural Resources Forum in Prince George onTuesday evening.

The 10-year capital plan for Crown utility B.C. Hydro has been updated to include almost $36 billion in spending on community and regional infrastructure projects in the province between 2024-25 and 2033-34.

The government says that figure represents an increase of 50 per cent over B.C. Hydro's last 10-year capital plan, and includes nearly $10 billion for projects involving electrification and emissions reduction.

It says the new construction projects are projected to support between 10,500 and 12,500 jobs annually.

Power from Site C dam could go entirely to industrial projects

Among the projects announced Tuesdayis the construction of new high-voltage transmission lines from Prince George to Terrace, near the North Coast, aimed at providing more power to industrial customers in the region.

That underlines the pressure new industry is set to puton B.C.'s power grid, with thegovernment sayingelectricity demand is expected to grow by at least 15 per cent between now and 2030.

Earlier in the day, Eby was asked about the impact several proposed hydrogen power projects in B.C. could have on the province's power supply.

He admitted it was a challenge with just one proposed project,from Australia's Fortescue,needing about 1,000 megawatts of power to operateroughly theequivalent to the production capacity of the Site C dam, which is set to come online next year after nearlya decade of construction.

But he also said the province needed to invest in rapid expansion of electrical production to meet both economic and environmental goals.

"Clean, affordable energy will help us meet that opportunity, while reducing pollution, securing good-paying jobs and creating new opportunities for our growing economy."