The proposed Northwest Transmission line, a $400 million dollar project to link a transmission line from to Terrace to Bob Quinn Lake could be a Trojan horse kind of development, one which opens up a corridor to Alaska and would result in a drain on B. C.’s ports.
That seems to be the impression of a group that has been organized to stop the development in its tracks. The Protect Our Ports committee appeared in Terrace last week to outline their concerns over the electrification project, including the thought that the power development would then be followed by the Bradfield Connector a highway to link Highway 37 to Wrangell, Alaska. A development that would shift the trade patterns of Northern BC from North/South to East/West, leaving the Provinces northern ports to deal with reduced output.
The Thursday edition of the Daily News, provided some background on their thoughts from the finance committee meetings in Terrace last week.
Power line will fire up Alaska, not B.C. critic suggests
By Leanne Ritchie ,
The Daily News
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Pages one and two
The proposed Northwest Transmission Line will increase the possibility of a road connecting Alaska and B.C., and drain economic goods away from B.C. ports as a result, says an organization out of Stewart.
Speaking to the province's finance committee in Terrace last month, James Bourquin of the Protect Our Ports committee explained how the proposed $400 million 287-kV transmission line from Terrace to Bob Quinn Lake will cause accelerated mining development and the development off the Bradfield connector road between B.C. and Alaska.
"B.C. Hydro's proposed 287-kV northern transmission line would be to the long-term detriment of Northwest British Columbia mining service communities and Northwest B.C. ports," he said.
.
“The pace and scale of 287-kV energy-intensive, open-pit mining could shift the northern Northwest B. C. economy from flowing north-south along Highway 37 to eventually flowing east-west, connecting Northern British Columbia mines to southeast Alaska ports and communities via an American Bradfield industrial corridor.”
The British Columbia Transmission Corporation is currently proposing to develop the $400 million transmission line project with $150 million in capital costs being provided by NovaGold, which is developing the Galore Creek mine in the region.
The government of Alaska has been proposing to tie in its electrical system with the new line in order to sell electricity to the Lower 48. Currently, Alaska’s electrical system, like its road system and rail system, is isolated.
And part of its future infrastructure plans include building the Bradfield connector, $300-million northern access road that would link B. C. along Highway 37 to a deep water port at the head of the Bradfield Canal near Wrangell, Alaska. The province of B. C. and Alaska government funded a study in 2004 to examine the cost of such a road link.
“If we have a big transmission line, it’s going to put so many trucks on Highway 37 that there’ll eventually be an industrial haul road under the Alaska-B.C. electrical inter-tie,” said Bourquin.
“All those resources are going to flow to an Alaskan port, so we’re going to basically change the geopolitics of that area up there. It’s going to report to the Alaska economy rather than the Northwest B. C. economy, if we overbuild electricity,” said Bourquin.
Bourquin argues NovaGold only needs a 138-kV line to operate.
With the 287-kV line, secondary mining such as Teck Cominco’s Shaft Creek copper-gold and Imperial Metal’s Red Chris copper-gold project, will all come on-line at the same time.
Instead of providing jobs for 100 years, if all the projects come on line at the same time, it will create a boom and bust situation as well as providing an incentive for the Alaskan’s to build the Bradfield Connector.
That seems to be the impression of a group that has been organized to stop the development in its tracks. The Protect Our Ports committee appeared in Terrace last week to outline their concerns over the electrification project, including the thought that the power development would then be followed by the Bradfield Connector a highway to link Highway 37 to Wrangell, Alaska. A development that would shift the trade patterns of Northern BC from North/South to East/West, leaving the Provinces northern ports to deal with reduced output.
The Thursday edition of the Daily News, provided some background on their thoughts from the finance committee meetings in Terrace last week.
Power line will fire up Alaska, not B.C. critic suggests
By Leanne Ritchie ,
The Daily News
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Pages one and two
The proposed Northwest Transmission Line will increase the possibility of a road connecting Alaska and B.C., and drain economic goods away from B.C. ports as a result, says an organization out of Stewart.
Speaking to the province's finance committee in Terrace last month, James Bourquin of the Protect Our Ports committee explained how the proposed $400 million 287-kV transmission line from Terrace to Bob Quinn Lake will cause accelerated mining development and the development off the Bradfield connector road between B.C. and Alaska.
"B.C. Hydro's proposed 287-kV northern transmission line would be to the long-term detriment of Northwest British Columbia mining service communities and Northwest B.C. ports," he said.
.
“The pace and scale of 287-kV energy-intensive, open-pit mining could shift the northern Northwest B. C. economy from flowing north-south along Highway 37 to eventually flowing east-west, connecting Northern British Columbia mines to southeast Alaska ports and communities via an American Bradfield industrial corridor.”
The British Columbia Transmission Corporation is currently proposing to develop the $400 million transmission line project with $150 million in capital costs being provided by NovaGold, which is developing the Galore Creek mine in the region.
The government of Alaska has been proposing to tie in its electrical system with the new line in order to sell electricity to the Lower 48. Currently, Alaska’s electrical system, like its road system and rail system, is isolated.
And part of its future infrastructure plans include building the Bradfield connector, $300-million northern access road that would link B. C. along Highway 37 to a deep water port at the head of the Bradfield Canal near Wrangell, Alaska. The province of B. C. and Alaska government funded a study in 2004 to examine the cost of such a road link.
“If we have a big transmission line, it’s going to put so many trucks on Highway 37 that there’ll eventually be an industrial haul road under the Alaska-B.C. electrical inter-tie,” said Bourquin.
“All those resources are going to flow to an Alaskan port, so we’re going to basically change the geopolitics of that area up there. It’s going to report to the Alaska economy rather than the Northwest B. C. economy, if we overbuild electricity,” said Bourquin.
Bourquin argues NovaGold only needs a 138-kV line to operate.
With the 287-kV line, secondary mining such as Teck Cominco’s Shaft Creek copper-gold and Imperial Metal’s Red Chris copper-gold project, will all come on-line at the same time.
Instead of providing jobs for 100 years, if all the projects come on line at the same time, it will create a boom and bust situation as well as providing an incentive for the Alaskan’s to build the Bradfield Connector.
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