Three days after the final date allowed by law for making public its Annual Service Plan, BC Hydro made the document available on its website. Electricity sales to residential, commercial and industrial customers in fiscal year 2024 were 0.34% higher than in FY 2023, and 8.45% more than 20 years before.
According to the 2024 report, residential, commercial and light industrial consumption declined while use of electricity by heavy industry increased. That growth is related to the fossil fuel industry.
Observers may have noted that for many years, BC Hydro has been predicting 40% demand growth in 20 years.
If consumption of electricity had actually grown by the 40 percent over 20 years that BC Hydro has been predicting, the province’s energy users would be in deep trouble. Production of hydroelectricity at the public utility’s generating facilities has been reducing and fiscal year 2024 was a near disaster.
Remember when Site C proponents were arguing that solar and wind power were unreliable and too expensive. Turns out that the reliability of hydro power in British Columbia is questionable. If Site C production is 1/3 lower than expected, the cost per KWh will be well more than double the average selling price BC Hydro charges its customers.
Peace River’s Site C dam has a stated capacity of 1,100 MW. BC Hydro says the new dam will produce 5,100 GWh annually, which is 4.6 GWh per MW. But in fiscal year 2023-24, the Bennett Dam upriver produced electricity at a rate of 3.1 GWh per MW. If Site C produces at the same rate, its output would be 3,400 GWh, one-third less than promised.
Instead of choosing to flood 83 kilometres of the Peace River valley, had the province decided to invest in wind and solar power, along with battery energy storage systems, historic low water flows would not be an issue for BC Hydro.
Follow this thread. Three and one-half after it was written, it still makes sense.
in-sights.ca 
Entirely predictable. This scenario has been playing out for decades along the Colorado River power projects as well in Europe. Site C never did make any sense. One can only conclude it was an enormous taxpayer gift to big business.
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SO; those that promote the oft quoted news that BC Hydro cannot meet demand are oblivious to the fact that BC Hydro also exports generation?
It does seem odd that extra production is required to meet the needs of the petro state!
The idea of building a new Frazer River bridge crossing rather than a tunnel was also a ruse to export fossil fuels by way of tankers which will be inhibited by a bridge.
TB
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