CAMPBELL RIVER, B.C.: The NDP just got caught buying back the exact kind of power plant it spent years telling British Columbians they didn’t need.

The NDP government announced today that BC Hydro is purchasing the Island Generation natural gas facility in Campbell River, an admission that its electrification-only energy policy was never realistic. The 275-megawatt plant was originally privately owned yet kept to a minimal backup role under the NDP, operating just 15 days a year on average. Now, with demand outpacing what the NDP’s plan can support, the government is spending taxpayer funds on the very gas capacity it once treated as obsolete.

“You cannot electrify everything and pretend natural gas doesn’t matter,” said Larry Neufeld, Shadow Minister for Energy. “Buying back a gas plant they once wrote off is proof their own plan couldn’t keep the lights on. It’s a step towards more energy reality, but the government needs to go further and scrap the impending province-wide ban on natural gas under CleanBC.”

Missing from today’s announcement is any detail on what BC Hydro actually paid for Island Generation, or what it will cost ratepayers going forward. “As usual, the NDP let ideology drive policy, and failed to give British Columbians the most basic information about what they’re being asked to purchase,” said David Williams, Shadow Minister for BC Hydro and Electrical Energy Development.

“The Island Generation facility is an important asset for the North Island, providing not just backup power, but power needed for economic development. The question that remains is why this state-of-the-art, privately-run facility was forced to sell, and why taxpayers are now on the hook for the purchase,” said Anna Kindy, MLA for North Island.

– 30 –

Media Contact:
Erika Acuzar
Conservative.Communications@leg.bc.ca
+1 (672) 922-0948