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_ .. British Columbians have _

‘for decades enjoyed some of
the cheapest and most plen- —_value against the U.S, cur-

' tiful hydroelectric power in —_—_ rency, equalling $.78 in.
any part of the world. A = “ .: 1995 and $.85 by the end of
series of massive dam- ;
‘building projects through
the 1950's, 60’s and 70°s -
took advantage of the proy-
ince’s natural terrain

* features to create a huge
surplus of water-generated
electrical power.’

That surplus is about: to:
come to an end.

In a 20-year forecast of
B.C, energy supplies and re-
quirements published by the

_ B.C, Ministry of Energy,
Mines and Petroleum
-Resources in 1984, demand
for electricity was predicted
to equal the supply of cur-
Tent B.C. Hydro generating
facilities by 1997. The
prediction was based on a
number of assumptions -
about the prices of other _
forms of energy, the value
of the Canadian dollar,
federal and provincial

_ government policies, world-
wide trends in energy use,
and the general health of
the Canadian and British
Columbia economies, While
‘some of those assumptions
‘have been born out, others

Canadian dollar was ex-.
pected to gradually grow in.

Last week — December,

_ 1989 — the Canadian dollar
hit just over $.85 U.S. on
world money markets.

cycle to last as long as it
_ _ has, booming away even in

government interest rate
policy. The cumulative ef-
fect of these and other un--
foreseen factors is a much.
more rapid growth in the
. demand, both residential
and industrial, for electricity
in B.C. The day of reckon-
ing for B.C. Hydro is much
_ closer at hand.
Plans for more dams that
,. were shelved in the late
1970's are being pulled
down and dusted off —
Murphy Creek-Keenleyside,
Site C, even the controver-
sial Lower Stikine proposal.
But Hydro is moving cau-
tiously and with reluctance
in the direction of dam-
building. It isn’t a popular
way to deal with the supply
problem, and there is still

dro facing hard choices

the forecast period in 2005, - -

In 1984 no one expected __
the upswing in the business .-

face of a crippling federal ~~

alternatives. -~ ce
The ideal alternative é is flexibility to change with the

direction of power demand
a simply to reduce demand. ; _ dam construction requires a the Peace River will have to

_,Hydro’s Power Smart pro- - great deal of lead time. be made in the next few

gram, includes a series of es
ears.
co sousne: -raisin eg exer- That means the decision to y

cises for residential, com:
-: mercial ‘and. industrial ¢ con.
. sumers of electricity.

Another alternative is-en-
* couraging the use of other
energy forms, with natural
gas ‘being the current fuel of
"+ choice. It has an increasing-
-ly wide distribution net-
: work, and the supply even
_,, with current export commit-
~ ments will last well into the -
next century on established
eserves ‘alone.
-Hydro’s current 20-year
resource’ plan calls for'a
- number of small power op-
tions to be developed which,
when taken together, could
generate enough power to
delay Site C to the late —
1990's and push the Iskut-
Stikine and Liard dam pro-
jects into the next century.
The options include the ad-

go ahead with or delay ma-
jor projects like Site on.

B.C. Hydro’s northwest Power Smart rep Del Meashaw
was on hand at the recent official switch-throwirz: to
celebrate Stewart’s connection into the B.C. Hydra
grid. Meashaw had among other things samples of
high-efficienty flourescent light bulbs designed to
replace incandescent bulbs in routine household ap-

Hydro’s recent announce-
ment of the intent to seek a
nine percent rate increase is
also expected to have an im-
pact on power consumption.

Even though the 20-year

‘have not. For example, the time to explore a number of —_—srresource plan has built-in . plications. | , J

~. When your aging fridge finally ©
“quits, B.C, Hydro will rebate you:
$50 on the purchase of an energy- .
saving one.

It’s. a move that will save you.
cash. Up front. And down the
road, with significant savings on
your monthly electric bill. (Statis-
tics show that the new energy-
saving models can represent a
typical saving of $300 or more over:
the life of the fridge compared to
less efficient models yo

Plus, your purchase will help | which fridges qualify for the
Slow the ever-growing demand l $50 rebate. Or call B.C. Hydro
on our valuable hydroelectric toll-free 1-800-663-1689.
‘resource. * Offer valid on purchases made June 1, 1989
Here's your chance to be Se ove! Hiei mos |

- Power Smart. To enjoy cash savings
, now. And the good life electricity
; brings, for years to come.

Jt ENERGY-SAVING FRIDGE
| $50 REBATE REMINDER

Clip and save this reminder

a |

~ WITH PURCHASE OF AN

| toask your appliance dealer |.
|
|
|

_ ENERGY-SAVING FRIDGE.

| PEER SMART!

Intelligent Energy Choices

Oe ge Lette

For further information for this and other Power Sinart
*< pkograms contact your local B.C. Hydro office.

CEE eT RE ES ies

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