Could B.C. be stuck importing power for a 3rd year? Drought and snowmelt prompt concerns

Ongoing drought conditions in the province are again cutting into B.C.'s ability to generate hydroelectric power, according to Energy Futures Institute chair Barry Penner.

British Columbia could be left importing electricity for a third consecutive year, according to one industry expert.

Ongoing drought conditions in the province are again cutting into B.C.’s ability to generate hydroelectric power, according to Energy Futures Institute chair and former environment minister Barry Penner.

That will leave the province importing power from the U.S. once again, he said.

“What we’ve seen over the last couple of years is very disappointing snowpack, so that means we are behind the 8-ball for water to go into our reservoirs, and with BC Hydro being dependent on about 90 per cent hydroelectricity, if we don’t have enough water, then we are not generating as much electricity as we normally would,” Penner said.

“We’re now entering into our third year of being a large net importer of electricity.”

In fiscal year 2024, BC Hydro imported 13,600 gigawatt hours of electricity, about 25 per cent of its total power, at a cost of nearly $1.4 billion.

The previous year, it imported about 10,000 gigawatt hours of electricity this year, about a fifth of its total load, at a cost of more than $450 million.

“We just began our fiscal year on April 1, so it really is way too soon to say if we will be a net importer or a net exporter this year; it really does depend on precipitation,” BC Hydro spokesperson Mora Scott told Global News.