BC Hydro set to award second-largest Site C contract as Ottawa mulls Chinese takeover of key player

I know BCers get tribal about things, and so do Albertans too. It's damaging to trade that we see Albertans working in BC as a threat or something. I've worked in Alberta for a number of years, and brought most of the money back. If we can help Alberta shift to wind and renewables, backed up by BCs Hydro that would be great. It would probably be a profitable trade for us too. Why can't we see larger than just out town, province, or even country when looking at energy trade?

Yes, you're right, there isn't a shortage of power now. But, dams can't be built to order in a few days with 2 day shipping. By the time we need the power, the market will have made other arrangements for supply if site C is not built. And, even if we don't need it, BC Hydro can trade that energy for other things we do need like oil from Alberta (until we all drive electric cars). Hydro power is a net export from BC. That's a good thing, because it means that it can hep fund our government with less tax dollars.

It baffles me that some people will simultaneously want a low carbon future powered by windmills and solar panels, but will dismiss large hydro. Any electrical engineer will say that large hydro is one of the best power sources because of it's reliability, efficiency, and economies of scale.

There are always financial reasons to make investments, and site C makes sense to me. It's not wildly fantastic, as energy costs are low because of cheap natural gas, and BC hydro sells it's electricity to residents in BC at a discount. In the future, it will probably be looked on as a wise decision. We continue to benefit today because people built the WAC bennett dam back in the 1960s

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