The province has announced that it will be introducing new legislation this spring that will grant the BC Energy Regulator (BCER) the power to speed up renewable energy projects like wind and solar.
Energy Minister Adrian Dix made the announcement Thursday alongside First Nations and clean energy partners who have signed purchase agreements with BC Hydro. The deals will bring in between five and six billion dollars in private investments in B.C., according to the Ministry of Energy and Climate Solutions.
Among those projects is the Stewart Creek Wind Project in Fort St. John, which signed a 30-year agreement with BC Hydro in December of last year. The project, developed with the West Moberly First Nations, should be running by 2028.
Another project in the Peace Region, the Taylor Wind Project, is a collaboration between EDF Renewables and the Saulteau First Nations and is expected to generate power by 2031.
“Along with other natural resources projects, these critical projects have been identified by the province as priorities that are ready to move forward, with the potential to generate significant employment to support our economy in the face of potential tariffs by the U.S. government,” said Dix.
The goal of the new legislation is to make it easier and faster to get permits for renewable energy projects, and to help the transition to renewable energy. It also builds on the intent of the provincial government to exempt future wind projects from environmental assessments.
The BCER will create a ‘single-window permitting process’ to expand the electricity grid, starting with the North Coast Transmission Line that runs from Prince George to Terrace, according to a news release.
“With our single-window approach to permitting through the full lifecycle of development, commitment to operational excellence and stewardship in the public interest, commitment to First Nation consultation and management of land-owner interests, the BC Energy Regulator is well positioned to apply that expertise to renewables and to support the province’s transition to low-carbon energy,” said BCER CEO Michelle Carr.
Even though BCER already has a team of over 300 professionals across B.C., they will hire more staff and experts as needed to handle their new responsibilities.