Straight Answers on common questions about the Ashlu Green Power Project

1. What benefits can be expected from the Ashlu project?
2. How will the direct benefits to the Upper Squamish Valley community be expended?
3. Will the project dam and remove all the water from Ashlu Creek?
4. Will the Upper Squamish Valley be at risk from flooding due to the water behind the weir?
5. Why do we need new energy sources? Don’t we already have enough?
6. Doesn’t BC Hydro export electricity? Then why do we need more generation sources?
7. How will fish and fish habitat be protected?
8. Will the project provide any benefits for fish?
9. Is any new transmission line corridor being built in the Upper Squamish Valley?
10. Is there a second right-of-way for power lines down the Upper Squamish Valley?
11. Is the electricity from the Ashlu project and other independent power projects (IPPs) destined for the United States?
12. Will electricity from the Ashlu project drive up the price of electricity for British Columbians?
13. Why doesn’t BC Hydro build small, renewable energy projects? Why do we need IPPs?
14. Are there more IPPs proposed on Ashlu Creek or its tributaries?
15. Ashlu Creek or Ashlu River: which is correct?

What benefits can be expected from the Ashlu project?

To Upper Squamish residents

• A proposed Community Benefits and Amenities Agreement of $400,000 initially plus $80,000 per year for 20 years; to be managed and spent by the local community.
• Free 6” minus crush gravel from tunnel construction.
• Local hire preference to qualified trades and workers.
• Establishment of Liaison committee of residents, the Squamish Nation and Ledcor personnel to identify and resolve any construction issues on an ongoing basis.
• Commitment to a protocol agreement with the construction contractor to address issues relating to potential traffic, noise and safety matters.

Squamish area

• Access to sixty full-time, high-paying construction jobs for 2.5 years to construct the project.
• Local hire preference to qualified trades and workers.
• Local hires include any requirement for electrical, mechanical and construction trade skills, which former Woodfibre employees possess.
• An estimated $10 million spent locally in the community, based on actual local spending from the Rutherford Creek IPP near Pemberton.

Local Governments

• Substantial taxes paid on an annual basis to local governments for municipal services, schools, hospital services and the Squamish swimming pool.

Province of BC

• A source of sustainable green energy made exclusively available to the people of BC.
• An enhanced salmon and steelhead spawning channel and rearing system.
• Continued access to a variety of excellent kayaking experiences.
• $700,000 (about $2,000 per day) in taxes to be paid on an annual basis to the Province for water rental fees alone.
• Over $4,000,000 in income taxes to be paid on an annual basis to to the Province and Federal governments.
• Continued access to a variety of excellent kayaking experiences.

How will the direct benefits to the Upper Squamish Valley community be expended?

The proposed Community Benefits and Amenities Agreement funds are to be spent on local community projects that will be decided upon by the residents of the Upper Squamish Valley. Previously, there were several suggestions on how to spend the funds (i.e. volunteer fire service); however the residents themselves will ultimately decide on the most favourable option(s).

Will the project dam and remove all the water from Ashlu Creek?

A dam will not be constructed as part of this project. Only a portion of the water will be temporarily diverted from Ashlu Creek for power generation purposes. Fisheries and Oceans Canada requires that water flow be maintained in the diverted section of the creek at all times, even though the naturally poor habitat means there are few fish spawning or rearing in this section. The Ashlu project will have a 3m high, inflatable rubber weir that will create a small pond so a portion of the creek's flow can be diverted into an underground tunnel. The distance between where the water is diverted and then returned to the creek is 5.4 km of the 30+ km long creek. The water is then returned, clean and unchanged, back into the creek upstream of the salmon spawning and rearing areas.

Will the Upper Squamish Valley be at risk from flooding due to the water behind the weir?

Even under catastrophic events such as a 1-in-500-year storm or a total collapse of the weir during an earthquake, the water level at the top end of the Ashlu delta would only rise 20 to 60 cm above the water level of the creek. This water would further disperse as the water flows an additional 2.5 km through the Ashlu delta before reaching the Squamish River and the nearest resident. (Source: Knight Piésold Consulting, March 3, 2005. “Results of Dam Break Study on Ashlu Creek.”) The Squamish River is still the main flood threat to the residents of the Upper Squamish Valley.

Why do we need new energy sources? Don’t we already have enough?

This province's days of having an energy surplus ended in 2001. Since then, B.C. has become a net electricity importer and will continue that way unless some significant new energy-producing projects are built.

Currently, BC Hydro is purchasing about 5,000,000 megawatt-hours annually—enough to supply 500,000 homes per year. That's part of the message contained in BC Hydro's new Integrated Energy Plan, a report released in March 2006 that illustrates a 20-year plan to solve this province's increasing reliance on imported energy. The wonderful network of large hydro dams has given the residents of B.C. clean and cheap electricity for years. In fact, B.C. residents enjoy the third lowest electricity costs in North America. However, those dams are now almost 50 years old, and simply do not generate enough power to meet our current electricity needs. Increased demand for electricity comes from population growth and economic expansion. And unless significant developments occur, British Columbia could be relying on imported electricity for almost half of all our energy needs 20 years from now. Such a situation would leave us vulnerable to inflated market prices for electricity, and at the mercy of energy shortages that occur well outside our boundaries. BC already has to import electricity from Alberta and the United States to meet our current needs. In fact, one of every eight households in BC (12%) is now dependent on imported electricity. The electricity imported from these two areas is created by burning coal, natural gas or other non-renewable sources of energy. Run-of-river hydroelectric projects emit little (if any) greenhouse gases or other air pollutants and do not deplete natural resources by consuming oil, natural gas or coal. Locally developed run-of-river projects decrease BC's reliance on out-of-province electricity for meeting our growing energy needs. Sources of renewable energy, such as the proposed Ashlu Creek project, also help meet Canada's commitments to the Kyoto Protocol.

Doesn’t BC Hydro export electricity? Then why do we need more generation sources?

BC Hydro has exported electricity from B.C. to the U.S. for many years, and continues to do so even today. Since BC Hydro can store electricity in the form of water behind the many dams throughout the province, it can dispatch electricity on demand when its needed in the U.S. When the U.S. needs extra electricity during daytime hours or during the summer to power air conditioners, BC Hydro exports electricity to meet this demand. The existing coal and natural gas plants that generate electricity in the U.S. cannot increase their production for daily electricity fluctuations. BC Hydro is able to charge a high price for this exported electricity. In the evenings, BC Hydro imports electricity back from the U.S. (and Alberta) thermal power plants that cannot be shut down. BC Hydro gets this evening electricity at a much cheaper rate than it sells electricity during the day. This daily trading of electricity allows BC Hydro to make a profit from its electricity resources. However, BC Hydro still needs to import more electricity each year than it can export, and it is only getting worse. In fiscal 2005, BC Hydro had to import 12.5% more electricity than it exported. This is why new generation sources are needed in B.C. to get us back into being self-sufficient in electricity generation.

Read more about B.C.'s Energy Shortfall

How will fish and fish habitat be protected?

The Ashlu Green Power Project is purposely located upstream of the spawning area for salmon on the Ashlu Creek delta. Since all of the diverted water for the project is returned to the creek upstream of this area, there will be no effect on downstream fish or fish habitat. In upper Ashlu Creek, rainbow and steelhead trout were stocked in the early 1990's; however, the stocking program was stopped because the creek is naturally nutrient poor and could not support the fish population. A fish ladder will be installed as part of the project so that the few surviving fish in the upper Ashlu can continue to move upstream of the weir. During high water flow in the early summer (from snow melt), the rubber weir will be periodically deflated to allow gravel to naturally move downstream and replenish the salmon spawning beds in the lower Ashlu delta.

Will the project provide any benefits for fish?

Yes, salmon and steelhead will receive benefits from the project. The existing salmon habitat enhancement area at the bottom of Ashlu Creek (built by Fisheries & Oceans Canada in the late 1990’s) will be significantly expanded to include 5,000 m2 of new habitat comprising salmon rearing ponds and side channels as part of the Ashlu project construction. In addition, an existing side channel will be altered along its 500-metre length and enhanced specifically for steelhead spawning and rearing. Both of these areas will be managed by the Squamish River Watershed Society, a local stewardship group that has developed and managed many habitat restoration areas in the Squamish area. These types of off-channel habitat areas, which are located off of the main streams such as the Squamish River, act as buffers to any main stream contamination like that which occurred on the Cheakamus River in 2005. Through the development and use of new off-channel areas, salmon and steelhead populations can be distributed into many smaller, local areas that are less affected by any singular, catastrophic event.

Is any new transmission line corridor being built in the Upper Squamish Valley?

The project will connect to the existing BC Hydro transmission line that originates from the Cheakamus Generating Station. Ashlu’s connecting line will run east-west for 2.5 km alongside the existing forest service road from the Ashlu to the Squamish River Bridge at mile 20.5 and will not extend down the Upper Squamish Valley. The new power line will be visible only along the forest service road and at the Squamish River Bridge.

Is there a second right-of-way for power lines down the Upper Squamish Valley?

There is a second BC Hydro right-of-way running down the Upper Squamish Valley. However, this right-of-way was created decades ago for a once-proposed hydroelectric project by BC Hydro on the Elaho River. This project, had it been built, would have required a new set of 230kV power lines down the valley. This project is completely unrelated to the Ashlu project. (source: BC Hydro Power and Authority. September 1983. “Elaho River Hydroelectric Development — Engineering Overview Study.”)

Is the electricity from the Ashlu project and other independent power projects (IPPs) destined for the United States?

All of the electricity generated from the Ashlu project will be sold directly to BC Hydro. The project has a 20-year sales contract, the longest contract available from BC Hydro in 2003, to provide electricity to BC Hydro and the ratepayers of BC. There is no IPP built in the province to export electricity to the U.S. BC Hydro, through its subsidiary Powerex, is the only company exporting power to the U.S.

Will electricity from the Ashlu project drive up the price of electricity for British Columbians?

The maximum price paid by BC Hydro for electricity was 5.5 cents per kilowatt-hour from the 2003 tender for new projects; currently, residential users pay just over 6 cents/kWh for their electricity. Rather than leading to increased electricity costs, run-of-the-river hydro projects such as the Ashlu Green Energy Project is a highly competitive and economic source of sustainable energy for all British Columbians.

Why doesn’t BC Hydro build small, renewable energy projects? Why do we need IPPs?

IPPs can develop and build new projects at a lower cost and faster than BC Hydro can. Typically, a new project can be developed by an IPP for $2 million per megawatt (MW) of rated capacity. BC Hydro, on the other hand, has much higher overhead and corporate costs than an IPP does, even though BC Hydro can borrow funds at a slightly cheaper (provincial) rate. BC Hydro’s Alberfeldie project, an existing run-of-river facility near Cranbrook, B.C., is currently being upgraded from 5 MW to 25 MW at a cost of $3.25 million per MW. This cost is not for a new, greenfield site like most IPPs develop. In fact, some of the original facility will still be used after the upgrade is completed, which would otherwise increase the overall project cost.

Are there more IPPs proposed on Ashlu Creek or its tributaries?

No. There is only one project proposed on Ashlu Creek – the Ashlu Creek Green Power Project by Ledcor and the Squamish Nation. Previous interest to develop run-of-river projects on Ashlu Creek all considered the same part of the stream where this current project is proposed. Therefore, there is only one project envisioned on Ashlu Creek. Other tributaries of Ashlu Creek that were investigated for power generating potential have had their water license applications to the Province withdrawn in 2004 (i.e. Sigurd Creek). The abandoned Ashlu Gold Mine, which ceased operations in the 1930’s, has a water license application for power purposes on Roaring Creek; however this application has been in existence for decades and no development has occurred. The cumulative impact of developing the Ashlu Creek Green Power Project was investigated and addressed in the Canadian Environmental Assessment review, which was completed and approved in October 2004. Under this review, the cumulative impact was ranked as ‘low’ with respect to other IPPs or developments in the area of Ashlu Creek.

Ashlu Creek or Ashlu River: which is correct?

Ashlu River is actually incorrect. The correct name is Ashlu Creek.