B.C.'s Minister of Energy and Mines, Bill Bennett, had only good things to say about some contentious energy projects in B.C. during his address to the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce.
Bennett spoke to a receptive crowd of about 60 at the Coast Capri Hotel, Friday. The event was sponsored by JDS Energy and Mining and Okanagan College's School of Business.
Bennett championed approval of the Site C dam on the Peace River, describing it as “the cheapest way to acquire the 1,100 Megawatts of electricity.”
“It was my job as minister to make a recommendation to government on the most responsible way to generate the new electricity,” Bennett said. “My approach to that part of the job has been how can we do everything possible to take pressure off (electricity) rates?”
He conceded that while the project is not in the best interest of all British Columbians, it is for the majority.
“There are First Nations with very legitimate concerns, and there's concerns about the loss of agricultural lands that are very legitimate,” he said.
Bennett also praised the recent announcement by Premier Christy Clark of a tentative agreement on a liquified natural gas project with Malaysian gas company Petronas, calling it a “really good sign.”
“We've got enough gas to last us for centuries and centuries in B.C., and we're finding more all the time,” Bennett said.
“The greatest opportunity we have to help globally is actually to have people using our natural gas instead of coal and nuclear and diesel fuel,” Bennett said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Robert Falls, professor of forestry at UBC Vancouver, said that when the use of lower-carbon fuels, like natural gas, are able to displace higher-carbon fuels, “there is a net benefit to the atmosphere.”
“It's fair to say that natural gas is the least worst of the fossil fuels,” Falls said.
Bennett said the transition to a carbon-free economy in B.C. will take “a lot more time, a lot more money, a lot more innovation than any advocate will say.”
“The technology doesn’t even exist today, unless you want to spend a hell of a lot of public money,” he continued.
Falls said a move away from the use of fossil fuels is past due.
“In answer to when this needs to happen, it needs to happen 30 years ago,” Falls said.