News
The proposed independent power project in Narrows Inlet by Narrows Inlet Hydro Holding Corp. has hit a snag in the approval process. The Environmental Assessment Office has identified information and "show stopping" issues with the assessment application. Included are issues with freshwater fish and fish habitat and wildlife and vegetation.
The EAO has cited the following :
Wildlife and Vegetation
Information Deficiencies
- 1. Lack of adequate baseline data for Tailed Frogs.
- 2. Mitigation measures proposed for direct Project effects on Tailed Frogs and Tailed Frog habitat is expensive and onerous.
- 3. No mitigation or compensation commitment from Proponent to offset Project-related habitat loss for Northern Goshawk as specifically requested by FLNRO.
Show Stoppers
- 1. Information provided and proposed mitigation for Project related loss of Grizzly Bear habitat is not sufficient to assess specific impacts and reduce effects to below significant.
- 2. The effect of the proposed level of drawdown in CC, SS and Ramona Lakes on Small (high –elevation) Lake Ecosystems is not mitigable.
Freshwater Fish and Fish Habitat
Information Deficiencies
- 1. Lack of adequate baseline data and/or consideration given to Project-related effects on water quality. Specifically, methyl mercury formation due to proposed flooding at CC and Ramona Lakes, and acid rock drainage/metal leaching.
- 2. Fish bearing status of several reaches has not been determined.
- 3. Several information deficiencies/uncertainties in the IFA have not been addressed including: effects on geomorphology, inadequate transect numbers and measurements at different flows, extrapolation of data from one system to another, the impact of proposed IFRs that are lower than the lowest measured flow is unclear, not all species/life stages present in the system are considered, and the system-specific periodicities of the species/life stages is not known.
- 4. There is uncertainty regarding the feasibility of the Project adhering to the standard DFO ramping rates.
- 5. Estimates of total riparian losses are not accurate and no consideration has been given to baseline riparian values/conditions at impact sites.
- 6. Lack of baseline data on macroinvertebrate habitat and effect of Project on stream connectivity.
Show Stoppers
- 1. Increase in Total Suspended Solids as a result of lake storage. No mitigation is proposed by the Proponent (other than dilution, which is not appropriate).
- 2. Proposed Project-related losses to fish habitat significantly exceed those typically allowable by regulatory agencies.
On January 25, 2013, Peter Schober of NIHH sent a letter to the Assessment Office requesting a temporary suspension of the review schedule so they would have time to respond to the fisheries and wildlife issues raised.
Project lead for the EAO, Garry Alexander, responded with an agreement to suspend the timeline. In his letter he stated, " The time limit for the review will resume, restarting at day 156 of the 180-day review timeline, when I am satisfied that all of the additional workthat Narrows Inlet Hydro Holdings Corporation (NIHH) is undertaking has been fully reviewed and considered to address the issues.
In their letter, NIHH requested a change in their Project Description to remove two of the five projects (SS Creek and CC Creek), and their impacts, from consideration. Bern Niamir of NIHH responded to questions stating, "The two last projects (SS Creek and CC Creek) are put on hold because they are extremely low-water creeks, dry part of the year, and they do not fit the standard methodology for assessment which assumes significant flows and fish in a creek. The other three projects (Chickwat, Upper and Lower Ramona) are being reviewed".
Niamir said these projects produce power at a price 10% below what BC Hydro charges the average ratepayer (including industrial customers). " We feel that we provide a significant service to our community because of the low cost, and including the fact that our environmental footprint per unit energy produced is significantly below that of Site C and coal or gas fired plants. We are green unlike Site C and the projects eliminate approximately 15,000,000 metric tons of greenhouse gasses during their lifetime. The price of power to BC Hydro for these projects is about 35% below what it costs BC Hydro to produce power at Site C (6.8 cents a kWh, vs. 10.7 cents a kWh)," stated Niamir.
Gwen Barlee Policy Director with the Wilderness Committee, stated "This proposal had so many obvious problems that even the BC EAO couldn’t ignore the issues. IPPs are under increased scrutiny because of their environmental impacts and the enormous financial hit to BC Hydro,” said Barlee. “In the past the EAO just rubber-stamped projects that came before them; I must say I was astounded that they actually identified such serious problems in the proponent’s application. I guess the increased public scrutiny is starting to pay off.”
In response to Niamir's statements on the price of IPP power, Barlee stated, "In the last call for power IPP power was $125 MWh levelized. BCH heritage dams produced far cheaper power, and even Site C, which produces firm power (we are opposed to Site C for numerous reasons not the least of which is that we have 5,000 GWh of surplus electricity thanks to the very expensive IPP contracts BCH was forced to sign)".
The Wilderness Committee is calling for an immediate moratorium on run-of-river IPPs in BC citing their considerable environmental and financial impacts.
Coast resident Soren Bech who has been following this application and submitted a very detailed critique (see article No to IPP) stated, "It is very significant that the EAO has described some of the impacts of this proposal as “show stoppers. That underlines just how much damage it would do – just imagine drawing down a small alpine lake by 150 feet. It also underlines how poorly NI Holdings has done its homework. It makes us even more nervous about the damage that would be caused if the proposal should go ahead. This is not green power; it’s a catastrophe."
The project consists of five hydro projects on four streams and three alpine lakes above Narrows Inlet off of the Sechelt Inlet. The company is a partnership that includes Renewable Power Corp. of Gibsons that developed the Tyson Creek hydro project. This project had trouble with silt flow and turbidity in 2010 and was shut down for four months to address the problems.