VICTORIA — Mark Zacharias, executive director at Clean Energy Canada, made the following statement in response to the release of B.C.’s Powering Our Future, B.C.’s Clean Energy Strategy:
“B.C.’s world-leading climate strategy is reducing emissions at home and helping British Columbians and businesses make cleaner choices. But as we enter a new era of energy, B.C. has lacked a strategy for the rapidly shifting energy needs of the province.
“To that end, the provincial government today took an important step in outlining a vision for how we will build out the clean energy resources we need. Meaningful steps have been committed to—including a pathways assessment, an acknowledgment of the scale of energy required and a commitment to an efficiency-first approach—that will inform what path we take, ensuring it is cost-effective and beneficial for British Columbians.
“While this vision is promising, the government must now lay out its plans for implementation. After all, a vision is just that without a roadmap to make it reality. By doing so, B.C. would be following the lead of many of our allies and trading partners that are deploying clean energy at pace amid falling prices, the rising cost of climate impacts, and geopolitical conflict. Meanwhile, industries are looking to clean energy to cut costs and families are buying EVs and heat pumps to save money and improve their quality of life.
“Preparing for this shift requires significant work. B.C., like much of the rest of Canada, will need to at least double the size of its electricity grid. But the benefits are greater still, and we are not venturing forth alone. Even here at home, nearly every Canadian province has taken steps toward modernizing their energy policies.
“Going slow is not an option. Many of our competitors already have energy plans that are attracting new investment and helping households access cheaper technologies. B.C. has a time-limited opportunity to maintain its enviable position. This week’s announcement was an important step forward, but it is the next steps that will truly inform the effectiveness of the new approach. We commend the government for its vision and look forward to working with them as they articulate how they will implement it.”
RESOURCES
Report | Making the Grade
Report | A Clean Bill
White Paper | Modernizing energy sector planning and oversight for a net-zero world
