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Site C Case Study

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Site C and the Future of Renewables ● In December 2014, the BC government made the decision to proceed with Site C, which would provide 1,100 MWs of capacity and about 5,100 GW/h of energy each year. ● Prior to that decision, CEBC commissioned a London Economics study that found: o Private clean energy could save British Columbians $750 million to $1 billion during the 70-year economic life of Site C. o LEI cautioned that large planned industrial projects, such as LNG, can get delayed, impacting the ability for the market to absorb excess capacity from Site C. Private clean energy can allow for the “right sizing and right timing” of smaller projects. o CEPs promote geographic diversity, which increases reliability and reduces …show more content…

o According to a recent International Renewable Energy Agency report, by 2025, the average cost of electricity from solar photovoltaics could drop another 59 per cent. Offshore wind and onshore wind could see decreases of 35 per cent and 26 per cent compared to 2015. ● There has not been a Power Call in BC since 2008, but it is fair to say that British Columbians would benefit from these savings should there be a new Call for Power. The Standing Offer Program (SOP) The SOP encourages the development of clean energy projects (15MW or less) throughout B.C., as set out in the 2007 BC Energy Plan and the 2010 Clean Energy Act. The SOP was also referenced in the 2013 Integrated Resource Plan, where the annual target was increased in order to support regional economic development and First Nations. It is important to note that SOP prices are different than the cost of energy that would be obtained through a competitive procurement process. Small SOP projects don’t benefit from the economy of scale, and face similar regulatory, permitting, construction, and interconnection costs as larger projects. However, the SOP is vitally important to clean energy developers and provides many benefits to the BC economy, especially in rural BC. For instance, millions of dollars are spent on each SOP project

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