BC Hydro鈥檚 CEO says the Crown corporation is 鈥渨ell within鈥� its capability to provide the necessary power to cool residents as the province heats up.
BC Hydro CEO Chris O鈥橰iley said he knows British Columbians are struggling with extreme heat, and there are often limited options available to them when it comes to cooling.
鈥淎s our once-milder spring and summers become warmer, air conditioning is no longer being considered a luxury among British Columbians.鈥�
He added that after the last two summers, British Columbians are 鈥渓ooking to air conditioning to keep them cool, but cost is a barrier for many.鈥�
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His comments came as the province announced $10 million for up to 8,000 new air conditioning units for B.C. vulnerable.
Health Minister Adrian Dix announced the funding Tuesday (June 27) in Vancouver, two years after the fatal heat dome that killed 619 people between June 25 and July 1, 2021. At the heat dome鈥檚 peak, temperatures reached more than 40 C outside, while many experienced hotter temperatures indoors.
A 2022 report from the BC Coroners Service noted that 98 per cent of deaths were indoors, heat-related deaths were higher among people with specific chronic diseases, 67 per cent of those who died were aged 70 or older and most deaths occurred in homes without adequate cooling systems, such as air conditioning.
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The $10 million allows BC Hydro to expand its Energy Conservation Assistance program to include free, publicly funded portable air conditioners for people who are medically vulnerable and have low incomes. The announcement didn鈥檛 give specific criteria for who could be eligible.
O鈥橰iley noted that in May, during an unseasonable heatwave, BC Hydro broke a peak hourly demand record.
While that electricity demand is increasing in spring and summer months, he said the Crown corporation has 鈥渓ots of room to accommodate these new uses of power in the summer periods.鈥� The demand for power is also 鈥渕uch higher鈥� in the winter heating months 鈥渂y quite a large margin.鈥�
BC Hydro is also on the hunt for new, renewable power sources, anticipating that demand for electricity will increase by 15 per cent between now and 2030 because of population growth and consumers adopting new technologies like electric vehicles and heat pumps.
Asked if BC Hydro has taken this summer increase into account, O鈥橰iley said it鈥檚 鈥渨ell within our capability鈥� and are already included in plans to acquire more electricity.
鈥淲e鈥檙e in the midst of an energy transition in the world, and certainly here in British Columbia, so given the demand for electrification to replace the use of fossil fuels, we鈥檙e forecasting a significant growth in load in the province, in demand for electricity.鈥�
鈥� With files from Wolf Depner
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