Area creek tagged for power project | as B.C. A SMALL hydro project on Maroon Creek, which feeds into Kalum Lake north of Terrace, was one of 38 independent power projects hamed to supply electricity to B.C. Hydro last week. . five megawatts of power for 25 gigawatt hours of elec- tricity a year ~ enough to - service approximately 2,500 households. . * The Maroon Creek Hydro Partnership must now sign a formal sales agreement with B.C. Hydro and receive per- mits and licences from tel- evant, provincial agencies leading toward a three-year completion period. ‘which involve using water, will generate 7,000 gigawatt . hours of electricity for a ca- pacity of approximately 200 “megawatts. _ ' Maroon Creek’s develop- “ment calls for diverting wa-, ter from the creek as it flows toward Kalum Lake through an undergound pipe of close to 4km long. After going through a powerhouse, the water will be returned to the .-creek prior to it emptying into Kalum Lake. In hydro producing terms it’s .called a “run-of-river” ' system’ but unlike others, - won’t require a dam to first contain water before it flows through generators. | “There will bea bit of a weir needed for a pond to hold the water but it won’t be much, a few metres, and nothing like a dam,” says Ryan Hanson, one of the Maroon Creek partners. “That’s what makes it ‘green,’” he said of the des- ignation used by B.C. Hy- dro for projects which are ‘ considered ‘environmentally It’s expected to generate ' friendly. Hanson, . Daryl, a geologist from Smithers, and Conan Peturs- son form the core of the Ma- roon Creek Partnership. Ryan Hanson said he had been looking for hydro op- portunities for awhile: and . ‘that Maroon Creek became ° a potential location after his father and Petursson both ~ = '.mentioned ittohim. =~ The 38 projects, 29 of © “We then made applica- tion for a water licence in Dec. 2004,” said Hanson in describing that procedure as similar to a prospector filing a mineral claim. ~o A Short transmission line ‘of 70 metres will be needed ° to connect Maroon’s power- _ house with an existing B.C. . Hydro line and B.C. Hydro will need to boost that line to | take the power. - Not needing a dam and having a B.C. Hydro line so close makes the project eco- » “nomically viable, said Han- son who estimated construc-’ tion costs of $10 million to $14 million. . He anticipates permitting and paperwork will take a year before construction be- gins. 7 oe An average 15 people will be needed during con- ay a Vancouver — power engineer, his father, struction with two people . thereafter to look after fa- ‘ cilities. Hanson and his partners have also struck an arrange- , ment with the Kitsumkalum band as Maroon Creek is on its traditional territory. The band will be an in- vestor in. the project and members will benefit from job training and employ- ment, said Hanson. _ Detailed planning for the Maroon «project began last year in response to a'B.C. Hydro call for proposals to add to its electrical supply to meet a growing demand for " power. policy of encouraging in- dependent power producers as opposed to having B.C. Hydro construct more large- scale hydro projects of its own. a - ‘The 7,000 gigawatt hours per year of new power’ is about three times as much as B.C..Hydro had hoped it, - could get when it issued its call for proposals. _ The single largest genera- tor on the list is near Powell ’ River. The Plutonic Power Corporation’s East. Toba and Montrose hydroelectric project would produce _ megawatts. = . ; » “As our: province con- tinues to grow, the gap be- tween electricity supply ‘and demand is expected to increase,” said energy min- ister Richard Neufeld in an- nouncing acceptance of the 38 projects. It follows a provincial . 196 . “The contracts awarded today will help to close that gap by bringing new supply - online by 2010.” Neufeld estimated the ‘projects will cost $3.6“bil- lion if all of them proceed as proposed. The contracts, to be ap- proved by the B.C. Utilities Commission, will! commit B.C. Hydro to paying $660 million per year over around 30=years, B.C. Hydro offi- cials say. i It works out to electricity that’s considerably. pricier © than what consumers now pay. oe ‘But B.C. Hydro president Bob Elton says the,cost of the new power will be blended. in with what consumers now. . pay for existing power. The province's strategy of. using independent pro-. ‘ducers aims to make the pri- ‘vate sector take on risk and provide innovation in find- ing new sources. °° Elton ‘expects sales con- ; tracts with the new produc- ~ “ers to be signed within a~ month and that the average length of the contracts is 30 years. ° . All of the power gener- ated will be used within the” province; none of it is to be. +} used for export. -°Two other northwest projects: were: also an- nounced last week — one in- | volves using wind turbines to be placed on Mount Hays overlooking Prince Rupert and the other will update old -hydro power facilities at Al- ice Arm on the coast north ‘Hydro seeks to meet demand §& of Prince Rupert. The latter will update two - “systems put in place there . years ago to power. mines — and two new ‘run of river’ projects. . Together they are expect- ed to have a capacity of 56.5 megawatts for 242 gigawatt hours of electricity. B.C. Hydro spokesper- son Elisha Moreno said the boom in independent power production doesn’t signifi- cantly change the need to consider developing a new major hydroelectric. project’. later on. Pe Mid July finds the Happy Gang busy with regular activities. Lunches have ‘been well attended. Several people ’are away on holiday making us short handed at times. Pancake breakfast was quite busy even though the regular date was changed for this month only. A group .. The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, August 2, 2006 - A7 FEATURE HOM Fee of Wrap around veranda, Sauna, Paved Drive. 1500 sf plus fully finished basement — ance La Best deal on the ; f Aion market today! | Bus: (877) 635-2404 — Res: (B80 798-9565 — Cell: (250) 631-3100 _ meee Email: vance@royallepage.ca Royal LePage Terrace «RN 1111 ncaa nenncieces 4724 Lazelle Avenue, Terrace, B.C. |: ROYAL LEPAGE j Of Your likes : of seniors from Prince Rupert.came to — shop, but many had Junch and played — Bingo at the centre. Barbara Cullis is in __ ‘Kelowna till mid August: for: treatment * and Bob Turner is in Mills. We wishthem . both back with us as soon as possible. tn a Os This month we salute Jean Uohnson. Jean has been a’ - member of the Happy Gang for a number of years and’ *-has worked in the kitchen much of that time. Her husband » ‘Glen often comes in to enjoy the fare and chat with various . friends. They lived in Kitimat and raised their family there. Jean is very quiet but her smile puts people at ease very quickly. As an active member of St. Matthew’s, she fills many ministries there. We are happy and lucky to have her as a member of our community. Thank you Jean. | AVEO: _ © Tilt Steering ¢ Fog Lights PURCHASE PRICE! $12,740 °138 INCLUDES FREIGHT AND PDI e 1.6L DOHC ENGINE « 5-Speed Manuat Transmission . ° Driver Seat Height Adjuster * 60/40 Split-Folding Rear Seat \ SMARTLEASE*. , n , © 5-yr/100,000km Powertrain Warranty _ with $0 Deductibled 46x. | 7 purchase financing on virtually all 2006 models.' PER MONTH 48 MONTHS $2,460 DOWN 90 SECURITY DEPOSIT A wh © HWY: 6.2L/100km * 46mpg CITY: 9.1L/100km © 3impg With 0% purchase financing and huge deals on our award-winning vehicles, there’s never been a better time to buy a Chevrolet. . ‘(MONUMENTAL EVENT. MONUMENTAL DEALS! HIGHWAY *, PURCHASE PRICE! '. COUPE OR SEDAN ® 145-HP 2.2L ECOTEC ENGINE «=: * 5-Speed Getrag Manual Transmission e Halogen Headlamps . @ 15" Wheels’ ' © Theft Deterrent System © CD Stereo ® Tilt Steering HURRY, IT’S THE ONE YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS. — AG | 26.9% 36 mente | S pe Sq “PERMONTH - | oe , _ . 48 MONTHS $2,660 DOWN HINCLUDES FREIGHT AND Pbi , Sf Veh GOATS OTNEE CG hoGe UOT OTHER : : os . : . Sa NOG EE Db te tbor sad carth de soe citrate > } nee eet Dew ranges sererey Taveras ie - | eae COBALT | ” Cobalt LT sedan model shown with available equipment. MSRP $19,940, - _' SMARTLEASE* _ ° Driver Seat Height Adjuster * 60/40 Split-Folding Rear Seat «,5-yr/100,000km Powertrain : _ Warranty with $0 Deductibleo HWY: 6.11/100km © 46mpg CITY: 9.5L/100km © 30mpg CHEVROLET. CANADA’S #1 SELLING BRAND CHECK OUT HOW CHEVROLET STACKS UP. _ . chevrolet.gmcanada.com Canada NATIONAL PARTNER . NOW AT YOUR BC CHEVROLET DEALERS. gmcanada.com is $4,502/5,514 plus applicable taxes. Other lease options are available. tT ig fo Example: $10,000 at 0% APR, the monthly payment is $166.67 for 60 months. Cost of borrowing is $0. To! els. 0% purchase financing up to 60 months is only availab $SR, 2WD TrailBlazer & Envoy models, Express & Savana ( of 2006 new or demonstrator models, dealer order or trade may le on 2006 Canyon, Colorado, 1500 Silverado & 4-800-GM-DRIVE. TM© 2005, VANOC. Used under License. All Rights Reserved. “Based on a 48 month lease for 2006 AveoS R7A, Cobalt R7A. A down payment or trade of $2,460/2,660 is required. Total obligation is $9,093/10,259. Option to purchase at lease end 0% purchase financing for 36/48/60 months on approved GMAC credit only, Offer is unconditionally interest-free. Down payment and/or trade may be required. Monthly payment and cost of borrowing will vary depending on amount borrowed and down payment/trade. tal obligation is $10,000. 0% purchase financing tor 36 months is available only on 2006 Cobalt and G5 Pursuit. 0% purchase financing for 48 months is available on virtually all other 2006 Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick and GMC mod-. Sierra Pickups, Avalanche, Tahoe, Suburban, Yukon & Yukon XL. 0% purchase financing excludes the following 2006 Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick and GMC models; Solstice, Optra5, Optra Wagon, Malibu LS Sedan, Lucerne, Corvette, passenger, cargo and cutaway), 1SX & 1SA Regular Cab C/K Pickups, and Medium Duty Trucks (including GMT560 Family 2&3 & Tilt and W-Series). *t+Freight included. License, insurance, registration, PPSA, administration fees and taxes not included. Offer applies to the lease be necessary, and applies only to qualified retail customers in BC/Yukon. Dealers are free to set individual prices. Limited time offer which may not be combined with other offers. See your participating GM dealers for conditions and details. oWhichever comes first. Call MacCarthy Motors at 250-635-4941, or visit us at 5004 Highway 16 West, Terrace. [License #5893] \