File Photo (Image Credit: City of Williams Lake)

By Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Lorne Doerkson

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: Another month goes by where the government ignores Atlantic Power

Mar 6, 2025 | 2:23 PM

ANOTHER MONTH HAS GONE BY, and Premier David Eby, Forests Minister Ravi Parmar, Energy Minister Adrian Dix and Environment Minister Tamara Davidson have still not acted on the Atlantic Power Williams Lake file.

The Atlantic Power Williams Lake biomass plant may be forced to cease operations later this year if they cannot renegotiate their contract with BC Hydro. The renegotiation process has dragged on for months with no end in sight.

The premier and his three ministers cannot put this off any longer.

Atlantic Power is the single largest property taxpayer in Williams Lake, providing $1.7-$1.8 million in revenue. It generates enough clean power for 50,000 homes. It directly and indirectly employs 140 locals.

To lose this remarkable facility would be detrimental to Williams Lake and our province at large.

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On February 7 – one month ago – I launched an online petition at Change.org titled “Save Atlantic Power Williams Lake: Support the Local Economy & Green Energy.” Please search for it and sign the petition. You can also find the link on my public Facebook page. The petition rapidly surpassed 1,500 signatures, so thank you for the support!

If only the government would support Atlantic Power like the people of Cariboo-Chilcotin do.

In conjunction with the petition, Conservative Party of BC Leader John Rustad and I penned a letter to Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar, urging the NDP government to get a deal finalized. We asked that BC Hydro immediately secure a new contract with Atlantic Power.

We didn’t even receive a note of acknowledgment from the minister, let alone an actual response.

After all, British Columbians deserve leadership that prioritizes energy security, economic stability and local industry. They deserve a government that stands up for its own industries instead of relying on foreign or out-of-province power sources.

My federal counterpart, Cariboo–Prince George MP Todd Doherty, has added his voice on this topic, stating that if BC Hydro doesn’t increase the rates they pay, the plant will be forced to shut down. The Cariboo Regional District Board also released a statement calling on the BC NDP government and BC Hydro to expedite contract negotiations.

It simply doesn’t make sense for the government to allow a clean energy facility to close down when B.C.’s Clean Energy Act, which passed in 2010, mandates our province to achieve electricity self-sufficiency. By 2030, we must also generate 100 per cent of the electricity in B.C. from clean or renewable resources and reduce waste by encouraging the use of waste heat, biogas, and biomass. This is what Atlantic Power already does.

Thank you again to everyone who signed the petition. We will save Atlantic Power Williams Lake – Eby and his ministers can’t avoid this topic forever.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.