Green project will only go through with community support
Whistler will not get "green energy" from the Fitzsimmons Creek if the community is opposed to the project, even though it might be the resort’s best chance to move towards sustainability.
"If we’re going to be true to ourselves and apply ourselves seriously to the Natural Step, we have to give our best effort in applying this project," said Arthur DeJong, mountain planning and environmental resource manager with Whistler-Blackcomb.
"The caveat, of course, is the support of the community."
About a year ago Whistler-Blackcomb asked Ledcor Power Inc., a Vancouver-based construction company and independent power producer, to look at the feasibility of putting a run of river project on the Fitzsimmons Creek, known locally as the Fitz.
"Nature’s offering here is hydro-driven energy production," said DeJong.
Initial studies showed the Fitz is well suited to this type of project. There would be little environmental impact on fish habitat or adverse recreational impact on kayakers – two key concerns with past run of river projects.
The small hydroelectric project would generate 32 gigawatt hours of electricity each year, which is equivalent to the energy Whistler-Blackcomb uses in its annual operations.
But the power that flows from the Fitz will not necessarily power the ski operations here. Rather, it will go into the main B.C. Hydro grid, to be distributed throughout the province.
As with other small hydroelectric projects, Ledcor will install a weir (about 1.5 metres high on the Fitzsimmons) which will divert some of the water into an intake.
The water will flow into a powerhouse where it will turn a turbine to generate electricity, before the water is returned into the creek. There is no net loss of water.
Capital costs for this project are estimated at $12 million.
Ledcor, who is the full owner, is slated to make about $1.6 million gross revenue per year.
Whistler-Blackcomb will not get a cut of the profits, said DeJong. The company is just a facilitator to do business.
He said the Fitz energy is key for the resort to move towards sustainability.
"It’s our best chance with the resources we have today."
DeJong was on hand at the first public open house for the project, held at the Myrtle Philip Community Centre on Thursday, June 27.
Locals strolled in throughout the course of the four-hour open house, among them two concerned Pemberton residents who have been joining many members of their gateway community to fight against a run of river project on Miller Creek.
That hydroelectric project, spearheaded by an Alberta-based energy company called EPCOR, has many locals concerned about how independent power producers are doing business in the community.
When the project was first proposed in 1999 Pemberton residents were under the assumption that the power generated by the Miller Creek plant would travel through the existing hydro lines along the Pemberton Meadows Road.
They have since been told by EPCOR representatives, at an emotional public meeting last month, that there will be additional hydro poles installed along the road and all the poles, new and current, will be higher.
"We’re trying to stop all run of river projects until this one is fixed up," said Charlie Davies, a Pemberton farmer who was at the Fitzsimmons open house.
But the Fitz proposal is very different from the Miller Creek project in many ways and even Davies agrees that the Fitz project "looks good" in theory.
The fact is there is relatively little visual impact to the community with the Fitz project.
The hydro lines, which are the main bone of contention in Pemberton, are going underground in Whistler.
The electrical cable will run underground for 300 to 400 metres from the generating station to B.C. Hydro’s power grid at the Blackcomb Works Yard.
In addition the water pipe, which will run the water downhill from the intake to the powerhouse for 3.7 kilometres, will also be buried.
This option is more expensive than running the cables above but it fulfills the Green and Social criteria set up by B.C. Hydro’s Electricity Purchase Agreement that the projects have low environmental impact and are developed in a socially responsible manner.
DeJong said other concerns that have dogged run of river projects in the past have been addressed on the Fitz.
The development on the Rutherford Creek near Pemberton came under attack from local kayakers who were concerned about losing a high-use paddling stream.
After a long negotiation that problem has since been resolved after developers worked out a deal to build an artificial channel next to the river for paddlers.
The Fitz however, is not a kayaking hot spot as there is no public road access, and the river is graded 4+ to 5+ difficulty.
The question of First Nations rights has plagued the Brandywine project in Whistler from the outset.
The company is now is constructive discussions with Squamish Nation and Lil’wat Nation to work out a suitable agreement.
With this in mind Whistler council rezoned lands on Brandywine Creek on Tuesday to permit the development of the run of river hydro generation facility.
Ledcor is also in positive discussions with the two First Nations in the area.
Archaeological and traditional use studies are currently underway and Squamish and Lil’wat Nations are slated for some financial compensation over the life span of the project.
Other environmental concerns, like fish habitat, have also been addressed in studies.
The studies show that fish are located downstream from the powerhouse and the water that temporarily comes out upstream will not compromise the level of water in the fish habitat.
The research to date points in favour of the Fitz as a green energy project said DeJong. However, "If it’s not a positive example of a run of river project, we don’t want it," he said.
Whistler councillor Stephanie Sloan raised concerns about small hydroelectric projects at Tuesday’s council meeting, suggesting council should draw up a framework or set of guidelines to deal with run of river projects.
Mayor Hugh O’Reilly addressed Sloan’s concern saying the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District board has just hired a consultant to do just that in the wake of the Miller Creek debacle.
"These things are coming fast and furious," he said.
There will be more community consultation on the Fitz project in the next year while Ledcor gets all the essential permits for the project.
Construction is slated to begin in the first half of 2003 and the Fitz will be set to generate power at the start of 2004.
