NRCan: Canada Announces $47M for Low-Impact Hydro Project in British Columbia
July 15, 2008 // Published as a news service by IHS
"Increasing our supply of renewable energy is an important part of our government's 'Turning the Corner' plan to achieve an absolute reduction of 20% in greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions by 2020," said Abbott.
"Our government is committed to ensuring that clean, renewable power from the sun, the wind, the tides and low-impact hydro projects, like this one, plays an increasingly larger role in Canada's energy mix for the future."
Located at the site of the existing Brilliant Dam on the Kootenay River near Castlegar, the Brilliant Expansion project captures energy that would otherwise be wasted when the flow of water exceeds the capacity of the existing dam.
As well as generating 120 megawatts (MWs) of clean electricity - offsetting some 450,000 metric tons of GHG emissions - the expansion will also increase the health of fish habitat downstream from the dam, experts said.
The ecoENERGY for Renewable Power program will contribute up to $47 million over 10 years to ensure that renewable energy from this project can be delivered to Canadian consumers at competitive prices.
Announced in January 2007, the program provides $1.48 billion to increase Canada's supply of clean electricity from renewable sources such as wind, biomass, low-impact hydro, geothermal, solar photovoltaic (PV) and ocean energy. It will encourage the production of around 4,000 MWs of new electricity from renewable energy sources - enough emissions-free electricity to power about 1 million homes.