Article by Christopher Pollon in The Tyee: Time to Get 'Wacky' Again: The Northwest Transmission Line

Excerpt: "... the province confirmed last November that the [Northwest Transmission Line], as currently planned, will not take a single northern community off diesel power. (emphasis added) At present, Dease Lake has its own small hydro plant with diesel back-up, and Iskut burns diesel and pays subsidized rates comparable to grid power. Telegraph Creek -- located hundreds of kilometres north of Bob Quinn and at least 90 kilometres east of the Highway 37 itself -- would require its own massive infrastructure project to get off diesel. Stewart, meanwhile, is already connected to the grid.

"In terms of energy development, the northwest accounts for only about 12 per cent of the province’s estimated run-of-river hydro potential, including the Forest Kerr run of river hydro project on the Iskut River, the largest planned IPP in the province at nearly 200 MW capacity. It is the only regional energy project likely to come into production any time soon.

"Steve Davis, the president of the Independent Power Producers Association of B.C., says there is excellent potential to develop run-of-river and wind resources in the Northwest, but the great distance from demand centres is currently a barrier to development."