BC Ferries forced to gear down vessel electrification ambitions
CTV
BC Ferries has officially changed course, scaling down its climate ambitions to electrify its Island Class fleet and ability to achieve provincial emissions targets.
BC Ferries has officially changed course, scaling down its climate ambitions to electrify its Island Class fleet and ability to achieve provincial emissions targets.
In 2021, the provincial ferry service got permission for the first phase of its Island Class Electrification Program (ICEP) - to convert the six Island Class diesel-electric hybrid ferries it has currently in operation to 100 per cent battery-electric operations by 2025.
The electrification project included upgrading nine terminals serving four routes to allow rapid on-shore charging so the vessels can stop running on diesel.
However, that plan was contingent on securing adequate funding from the federal and provincial governments - something that hasn't occurred.
The slowed pace of BC Ferries' electrification plan is taking place even though the corporation's drive to drop emissions to meet the province's mandated targets appears to be at a standstill.
The ferry corporation is now aiming to electrify four Island Class vessels serving routes between Nanaimo and Gabriola Island and Campbell River and Quadra Island, said Brian Anderson, BC Ferries' vice-president of strategy and community engagement, at a recent Quadra-Cortes ferry advisory committee meeting.
The BC Ferries board has authorized moving ahead with a reduced scope for electrification, but the new plan must still get the go-ahead from the Office of the BC Ferry Commissioner, which is responsible for capping fares and approving major capital expenditures, said Anderson.
