Why Alberta Has Almost No Hydro Power

 Even Though the Peace River Is In Alberta 

Most Canadians picture the Peace River as a mighty northern Alberta waterway. So when people hear that Alberta gets only about 6–7 % of its electricity from hydroelectricity (one of the lowest shares in the country), the immediate reaction is confusion: “Wait, what about the Peace River? Isn’t that perfect for big dams?”

Canada–United States Energy Trade: The $126 Billion Lifeline

Lifelines Power North America

Every day, the equivalent of more than four million barrels of oil, eight billion cubic feet of natural gas, and enough clean electricity to power millions of homes flows south across the world’s longest undefended border. In 2024, this invisible river of energy was worth approximately US$126.6 billion — making energy by far the most valuable commodity traded between Canada and the United States.
For Americans, Canada is not just a neighbor; it is the single largest, most reliable, and most secure source of imported energy. For Canadians, the U.S. market is essentially the only buyer for the vast majority of the country’s oil, natural gas, uranium, and surplus hydroelectricity. The relationship is less a “trade” in the classic sense and more a deeply integrated continental energy system.

Energy Source	Volume Exported to U.S.	Value (2024)	U.S. Market Share Supplied by Canada
Crude Oil	4.1 million barrels per day	~$84 billion	62% of all U.S. crude imports
Natural Gas	8.5 billion cubic feet per day	~$29 billion	99% of all U.S. natural gas imports
Refined Products & NGLs	~300,000 barrels per day	~$11 billion	—
Electricity (mostly hydro)	36.1 terawatt-hours (net)	~$2 billion	85% of all U.S. electricity imports
Uranium (U₃O₈)	~3,500 tonnes	~$600 million	~25% of U.S. reactor fuel
TOTAL		~$126.6 billion

B.C. Kills EV Mandate – And the Rest of the Dream . . .

. . .  Is Dying With It

This week, just days ago, on November 18, 2025, B.C. Energy Minister Adrian Dix stood up and did something nobody in Victoria thought they’d ever see an NDP government do: he admitted the province’s Zero-Emission Vehicle mandate was “no longer realistic” and announced they’re scrapping the 90% by 2030 and 100% by 2035 targets. Dead. Gone. They’re writing new legislation in 2026 that will basically copy whatever weaker rules Ottawa comes up with after its own ongoing retreat.

Could Other Provinces Build Their Own CDPQ?

Quebec's Standalone Pension Powerhouse

Quebec's separation from the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) in 1965 stands as a pivotal act of economic sovereignty, enabling the creation of the Quebec Pension Plan (QPP) and, by extension, La Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ). This unique carve-out—negotiated during constitutional talks and enshrined in federal-provincial agreements—allowed Quebec to retain full control over worker contributions from its residents, channeling them into a provincial plan rather than the national CPP managed by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB).

Hydropower development is about relationship and early stage planning

Veresen Inc. is engaged in construction of a hydropower project in northwest B.C. that speaks to the development opportunities in this area of the province. The pace of development is indicated by the demand for skilled labour in a growing number of projects in the northwest Pacific. Alexi Zawadzki, Vice President, Hydropower Development, Veresen Inc says a 20 MW project cluster is under construction on Dasque Creek and nearby Middle Creek.
 

“We signed three Impact Benefit Agreements with Kitselas, Lax Kw'alaams, and Metlakatla First Nations. The consultation process took three years with Kitselas and Coast Tsimshian business developers,” says Zawadzki, “who are savvy on training and contract opportunities. We were flexible in discussion and careful in finalizing these IBAs so as to consider the many interests came to the table from each organization. I am very pleased to see a new community bus for Lax Kw’alaams and a rescue vessel in the works for Metlakatla, made possible by our project.”
 

First Nation contractors have been clearing the penstock and access routes for a year. The timeline of the Dasque Project calls for completion in 2013. “We had a tough winter last year plus flooding issues on Skeena which threatened the 20 km access road. We had to build up the road during freshet, which was conducted by a First Nations contractor. Winter road maintenance was conducted by a local top-notch First Nation contractor, which we hired for a second year.” With two large dumps of snow already the crew has been out maintaining access to the construction site for a few weeks already.

 

“We have a turbine installed at Middle Creek,” says Zawadzki, “and we are putting in penstock on both projects. Soon we will be starting construction of the water intakes,” on this $75 million run-of-river hydro development with a 40 year electricity purchase agreement with BC Hydro. When the power comes on stream depends on a 20 km transmission line being finished, “which is relatively a simple build on this project.” The transmission line interconnects at the Skeena substation near Terrace.

Veresen is B.C.-oriented in pursuit of new energy, “What we find is a lot of opportunities for First Nation business to get involved, including civil works, and transmission line construction, and it ought to be a focus in the education system to build the skill sets and capacity for working in construction. In this territory there is a concentration on forestry in First Nations and it's done them well but there is an opportunity to diversify by expanding skill sets into construction in order to mitigate the ebb and flow of the lumber markets. There are opportunities in project management, scheduling, concrete works, earth works, electrical/mechanical and projects across the province are demanding people with construction skills.”

Recruiting First Nation personnel is integral, “We have an office administrator in Terrace from Kitselas who is a very competent, well- educated professional. However, had she had difficulty finding the right school until she landed at Capilano University in Vancouver. It's a matter of finding the right fit for learning.”
 

Veresen Inc is working on another hydro development located north of Squamish. The Culliton Project is in the permitting stage, and the company has an IBA with the Squamish First Nation that has developed over a number of years, providing once more a process for contract opportunities, employment and training. That's a $50 million investment by Veresen into an area that contains a strong First Nation vision, “The Squamish have great understanding of the investment and top leadership in balancing economic development and environmental stewardship.”
 

Veresen Inc operates across North America building new infrastructure that deliver jobs. Over 350 people have been put to work thus far in the Dasque project, he says, “and it will add value to community. We try to hire locally for there are advantages in having people who know the terrain, the relationships, and where the skills are available. We are in a situation in the northwest Pacific where a lot of other projects have drained the labour pool. It’s great to see people back to work in the north.”
 

Veresen sees a bright future in power development in BC and does it in various ways, “We do wind power, gas-fired power generation, and hydro throughout the country and we see a bright future in partnerships with First Nation groups. We always engage First Nations group at the earliest stage, when the project is just a concept. The people we deal with have a depth of understanding in culture, environment, and land use planning. We have a history of conducting environmental and permitting work with First Nations service providers. This allows us to plan projects to fit the landscape. At the end of the day, it’s about relationships, doing our best by others, and if something fails we have a level of trust to fall back on.”

Tla-o-qui-aht’s Canoe Creek Hydro a work of reclamation and restoration

Sayo Masso is liaison officer for the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation in one of their major initiatives, the Ha'uukmin Tribal Park, including the Upper Kennedy watershed, as a place of cultural and economic importance, "We conducted ceremonial gatherings and visited sacred sites," said  Masso.  "Pools in the river provided an abundant fishery to families and there was a village at the mouth of the Kennedy River."

The tribal park contains (in part) the Upper Kennedy River, "Our people moved through lakes in the winter and returned to the ocean in season," said  Masso. "We lived on the coast during summer and as a whaling people we observed the migration patterns of gray whales." Potlatch culture is hereditary and Nuu-Chah-Nulth communities like Tla-o-qui-aht are linked by close families, common meetings at winter feasts, and a lot of kinship with other coastal communities; interestingly, said  Masso, "Some of our closest ties are with the Makah Nation in Washington State."

Bringing the Ha'uukmin Tribal Park to life on behalf of Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation "seemed to take forever," said  Masso, "and years of research was followed by years of implementation including the last couple of years of serious dialogue. We had to study the area closely in terms of hydrology and fish habitat, institute a stream keeper’s course, and begin teaching members to be park guardians and stream keepers. We're really happy this is happening as we speak."

The Tla-o-qui-aht desire to share the magnificent lands and waters of their heritage is not carte blanche; visitors will be made aware of Tla-o-qui-aht stewardship, said  Masso, "Self-determination is on the horizon. We have focussed the initial effort on the Upper Kennedy before we construct new hatcheries," Chinook salmon and sockeye to be reared in separate hatcheries, Chinook hatchery to be built first.

The Tla-o-qui-aht place name for Kennedy River Basin, Haa'uukmin, is "roughly translated as Feast Bowl." The Kennedy Basin is about 60 km from Tofino and the Canoe Creek Hydro project presents the administration with an infrastructure opportunity to create wider visitations to their tribal park. "We are planning to establish a family-oriented picnic area by the Canoe Creek Run-of-River hydro generating station and we have envisioned our land use plan for long-term development in outlying forestry, gravel pits, and out-posts for adventure tours. Guardian and stream keeper courses are giving the administration a professional presence in our tribal park 

He added, "In upcoming phases of the Tribal Park, we will be providingrangering services and safe transit through a network of trails, and access fees will contribute to building and implementing tribal park objectives. We are examining carbon credits to value our trees while they're standing. Tla-o-qui-aht faces systemic issues in Canadian forestry," and will use every means to circumvent the slaughter of forests, "Carbon Credits help us assert a role in using and managing the watershed in a manner that reflects Tla-o-qui-aht Laws of Iisaak, (~Respect), and Hishukish Tsawaak, (Everything is one ~interconnectedness of Life)."

Tla-o-qui-aht implemented two land use zones in their traditional territory; one is entitled Uuyaathluknish Management Zone, which means 'We take care,' and  Masso said, "This is a management area that needs gentle impacts and restoration plans. Use and access must be sustainable and not negatively impacting water quality objectives and fish stock objectives." Qyaasinhap, the second management zone - Leave as you've found it, is generally allocated to the Old Growth Forest corridors in Clayoquot River Valley and Clayoqout plateau.

Uuyaathluknish is already impacted and needs rehabilitation, which is being done in part through the Canoe Creek Hydro project, "We promoted the hydro development in the rehabilitation area, an area already impacted by the highway and logging," an area that requires careful management for the multiple uses that are visioned. "On this side is the low-impact sustainable use area our plans says, Let's deliver fish out of this watershed."

Qyaasinhap is putting wider stewardship back in the local area of the central westcoast and Tofino, said  Masso. 'Leave it as you found it' means the Clayoquot Arm and Plateau Preserve will continue to serve as ground zero for research in climate change and education-oriented relations with colleges and universities. There is a research Centre up Clayoquot Arm and we working with the University of Victoria and with other education institutions to college-certify training in stewardship, and other research partnerships.

"Meanwhile we have two forest licenses in our territory," said  Masso, "and the thinking is that we have to do whatever is needed to move forestry to be more sustainable for our grandchildren and to create a 150-year rotation on harvesting rather than the present 80 rotation. We will examine timber uses and plan the harvest ourselves. We will evaluate the forest companies by how many jobs they create for how many trees they take, not by how many millions it makes."

History contains a couple of important drivers for the established tribal park. "Families quarantined themselves back in the Kennedy watershed during the introduction of plagues," and later, "The Meares Island court case acknowledged the Island in Clayoquot Sound as Tla-oqui-aht TitleLand in 1984, which laid the groundwork for the Hawiih (hereditary chiefs) to work on establishment of the Meares Island Tribal Park declaration.  This declaration formed the framework for the Tribal Park at Kennedy Lake."

As a matter of purely cultural concern the nation requires a quantity of old growth fir and cedar to carry on traditional practices of the potlatch, "We have canoe carvers and totem poles and Long Houses to build."

Innergex investing in all kinds of renewable energy

Richard Blanchet is the senior vice president for the western region at Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. and In recent history Innergex made a major acquisition of Cloudworks Energy in British Columbia, “We’ve been expanding the past 11 years, especially in British Columbia, and today 49 percent of revenues for Innergex are coming from B.C..” Innergex is generating power from projects spread over three provinces. and each jurisdiction has a concentration on First Nation economic development as the “core part of our development.”

In B.C., Innergex is operating 9 run-of-river renewable energy projects and presently engaged in the construction of two new projects “pipeline development of, and two projects in run of river renewable energy for 178 MWh. “We are very busy and these two new run-of-river projects together represent $270 million investment in BC,” said Blanchet. The really important statistic is the employment situation with First Nations. First Nations occupying well over 40 percent of the jobs in the largest construction project. company. “We are deeply engaged in First Nations training and capacity building and the fact is we have second and third generations of First Nations in our projects. These folks are advanced and moving up the ladder into skilled jobs, providing mentorship, building the social licensing (or social capital) of their communities.”

Innergex takes pride in their long record of successful First Nation partnerships, “and we look at the long term plans for First Nations in these partnerships toward sustainable development of energy projects and what the projects mean in these communities.” Communities are transforming in very positive directions like the Douglas First Nation who took on a hydro project with Cloudworks at the beginning of the last decade. “These projects are building the business activities in local communities through sub-contracting and business building. A good example is the Umbata Falls hydro project in Ontario with Pic River Ojibway, 51 percent owned by the First Nation and opened for power generation in 2009,” says Blanchet. “Here we are starting to see the benefits to these communities.”

Founded in 1990, Innergex formed in anticipation of a call for independent power production by Quebec Hydro. “The first call for private power production in Quebec came in 1991,” and Innergex was successful and expanded to Ontario, then B.C., then the USA in early 2000. “We have an office in B.C. with 30 staff, nine projects in operation in B.C.. In Ontario we have three four operational projects and in the USA one.” In Quebec they run seven hydro projects and five wind farms.

Blanchet says, “The First Nation aspect has been a key success in our development. It was during the first few projects in Quebec that this came to be at the centre of Innergex core values. We asked ourselves, what is in it for the First Nations? These communities will see the impact in construction and will see change occur in their communities and these communities must have something in return.”

In B.C. presently, the Kwoiek Creek Hydro Project is under construction near Lytton in the Fraser Canyon, “an area that has been bereft of opportunity with downturns in forestry, but now we have a $180 million investment underway with 90 plus jobs.” There are new skilled workers, and money is being spent with on-site training that will be opening the doors to employment on other projects. Blanchet notes, “And that's the thing about these projects, they are capital intensive.  It's a huge commitment in up-front costs while operational costs are low and renewable energy flows for decades. Water rentals are becoming an ongoing expense paid to the province and apparently the province of B.C. has started arranged to share an important part the water rental revenues they receive from us revenue-sharing with the First Nations in the province to share an important part something like 70 percent of provincial water rentals.”

The future of Innergex is based on building partnerships based on core values of integrity, responsibility, transparency, teamwork, and resource-sharing. “Most projects involve First Nation in the review process, and we provide capacity for land use studies and other background proceedings. These projects are long term and we obtain financing from investors like pension funds. These investors like the stability of renewable energy.” 

Innergex did a solar project recently in Ontario, “33 MWh came into operation in Ontario, and that's a new one. We arrayed the solar panels on 300 acres of non-arable land.” Blanchet came to the west coast to work in Vancouver eight years ago, “I commuted from Quebec for the first two years,” he laughs.

“Things are advancing very well in the Fraser Canyon. We built a tram to transport building materials, and the neat aspect of the tram is the way it travels from reserve to reserve at Kanaka Band.” This tram may have a future since they had been losing access to their side of the river, it’s a long drive and under certain conditions it is a long with very bad driving conditions. Presently they are pouring concrete at power house (on-reserve), and at site the construction of penstock underway, with the transmission line under construction. Innergex expects Kwoiek to be generating electricity beginning in October 2013. 

Pacific Northwest economy developing many new directions

The Pacific Northwest of Canada is an area with a stake in the economy held by First Nations, so it’s a far cry from the economic marginalization of remote communities in northern Ontario and northern Manitoba. It may closer resemble developments ascribed to James Bay on the Quebec side. Business development in the Northwest Pacific runs the gamut from coastal marine-oriented enterprise in emerging industrial and infrastructure operations, to small businesses creating dozens of forestry jobs, to long-standing companies hiring out of local indigenous populations that have recovered a lot of rights and titles in the territory.

Port services are expanding in the Port of Prince Rupert, B.C., by a tripartite business venture with Island Tug and Barge, Metlakatla, and Lax Kw’alaams First Nations. Ryan Leighton, Director of Operations for the Metlakatla Development Corporation (MDC) stated, “There is a multitude of different opportunities we are looking at a variety of commercial activities.” John Lindsay,  ITB vice president and general manager, recently confirms the company is proceeding to establish infrastructure and move equipment to Prince Rupert.

Leighton says, “We are involved regionally and going to grow. Barge services up here provide essential fuel, materials, supplies, everything right down to garbage remediation, and our services will extend as far North as Alaska.” Lindsay says, “It is a fully equipped marine services company in a hot area of economic development.” He noted last year that the Port of Prince Rupert is undergoing all kinds of expansion to meet the shipping demands of commodity sectors like coal, potash, and other export minerals. 

Clayton Burger is a Northwest Pacific businessman and highly experienced tree faller from Iskut, B.C., who took skills with a chain saw around the province. After 20 years as a faller, “I worked for a short time as a foreman for logging outfit, which proved to be excellent preparation to start my own business.” His company, Edziza Contracting is entering the third year operating out of Terrace, B.C..

Edziza teams of fallers work as far as Columbia Valley on a transmission line job. They work falling contracts in Alberta, and Dawson Creek, B.C., and currently, “Right where we are on the Northern Transmission Line project north of Terrace.” For his crews, falling and slashing is the game, “Line cutting, right-of-way, seismic,  oilfield line, pipeline, routes cut to make trails for industry, or government contracts.” 

On the NTL side, “We started the project last fall with All-North Consulting, and we’ve been working with McElhanney ever since on the survey job at NTL.” He worked in Nisga’a Nation to run a training course on chain-saw experienced people with no tickets. “We get them out and prepare them, then they can pass the tests to be certified fallers in the region.”

Bear Creek Contracting works in the Pacific Northwest, with a head office in Terrace, B.C.. Mike Edwards, Health and Safety Manager, has a host of responsibilities in human resources, and says, “Bear Creek Contracting is a family-run business, originally in logging and now engaged in all kinds of construction. “We specialize in ‘early works’ and ground works on utility projects, road construction, and other infrastructure. We have 150 on the payroll right now.” Furthermore, “We are operating a limited partnership with Haisla First Nation where we hire lots of people and do training and certification for a lot of new personnel being recruited in Kitimat area.”

HBO/Bear Creek Contracting limited partnership is run by Clarence Nice in Kitimaat Village. Edwards says, “This partnership opened a lot of doors for us, and we found great workers and great people by establishing the partnership. We had important conversations about building our workforce.  We now have a new pool of people trained and employed as excavator and machine operators, truck drivers, labourers, and other jobs in road construction on projects like Kitimat LNG,” the infrastructure project to ship natural gas from Canada.

The largest forestry tender holder in Haida Gwaii is looking to sell a particular form of log suitable for the B.C. power transmission system. The Skidegate Band Council of the Haida Nation (Queen Charlotte Islands) has put together an proposal to develop forestry resources under their aegis in the Haida Gwaii.  Chief Bob Mills, head of the Skidegate Band Council, explains, "We're working on leading projects based in ownership of the largest forestry tenure on Haida Gwaii. They are Skidegate Band initiatives to put some of our people in skilled positions at work that comes out of our forests, and for the Band to make some money."

The priority is training crews to work at log prepping sites using newly acquired  equipment to strip poles and prepare logs for the power pole market in B.C.. It involves the preparation of cedar poles by machine peeling the bark and putting the logs to market to corporations like BC Hydro and Fortis. “We understand there is a big demand for this and we can make money. We believe the Haida brand should be appealing." The poles will be shipped by barge to Vancouver.

The chief says, "De-barking occurs using expensive machinery that we are buying in the USA. Council member Billy Obonovich is spearheading the project. He obtained the debarking machine from a company in the USA. Training from NWCC comes with classroom and hands-on learning, time indoors followed by outdoor training toward certification in chain saw safety and machine operations. Timing of the training is arranged to precede the machine setup. There is a representative from the machine company to do operational training of the crew."

Industry training via Northern Manitoba Sector Council continues at pace

Doug Lauvstad, Executive Director, NMSC, joined when it started in 2007. “I came into it to work with government and industry in response to demand for skill labour in the marketplace. The program is northern-based and not exclusive to First Nations, but by the demographics of the north, it has been a big program for the Bands.” 

Lauvstad came to NMSC from University College of the North, “my previous employer,” where he was involved in the development of  training programs for 20 years in the post secondary world of education. He became active in delivering training to Aboriginal communities and Metis.” He is educated in administration of in post secondary education, born and raised in The Pas, “A city of about 7,000 people.”

The opportunities are open to all northern Manitobans, both genders, “primarily male taking the training, certainly,” and, “Typically they are people in their twenties. Those who enlist in the training enjoy a very high success rate. “The mine sector is particularly demanding a large number of employees,” but presently in Manitoba, hydro development is under way. “These are mega projects.”

Overall NMSC is engaged in employment development by training people with skills for use in an industrial setting, “So hydro is part of it.” The training demands are growing and NMSC is there to be a permanent agency. “We have three core staff members and then some contracts. We go year-round on the training. We get a base budget then we look for project funding.”

Don Nisbet, a program coordinator with the NMSC,  discussed the training model which partners industry, government and the UCN in delivering site training.  Typical programs include, Intro to Industry, Underground Miner Training, and Mineral Processing, and other.. NMSC works in  partnership with UCN and industry sector partners and northern communities  to find money, trainees, and jobs working in the various industries of mining, forestry, and electrical generation.

The upcoming mining academy opening in Flin Flon will offer classes later in 2011. “Premier Selinger paid a visit  to facilities under construction,” while travelling in the area in mid August. “The academy is still in construction and we have no official completion date but NMSC continues running programs,” and sees the opening of the Academy as a real enhancement to our efforts to develop a skilled northern workforce.

The Flin Flon-based academy is for training in the mining industry, “Training is mine-related at the academy, basically hard-rock mining, Training is relevant to the job opportunities found in Northern Manitoba.” The NMSC is an initiative that is trying to take advantage of the demographics, “ If the academy wasn't built we would still be training, however, this new facility will allow us to dramatically expand the range of programs offered, improve the quality of the programs currently delivered and lay the groundwork to become a nationally utilized training educational centre, says Nisbet.

Bucko Lake Mine, operated by CaNickel Minerals, has hosted several NMSC training sessions in the past few years that produced some 57 graduates and the plan is for more training to start early in the new year.  “Fifty one percent of the graduates are still working at the mine site."

Meanwhile the NMSC, which has been operating over four years, has also  worked with Workplace Education Manitoba in bringing basic essential skills to their industry focused training.  A product of this collaboration was the development of a custom entry level program entitled Introduction To Industry.

NMSC is working to “increase the pool of skilled labour from which we can draw, improving basic skills like math, and communications skills, then following up with more detailed training initiatives. We do not do it alone. We work with the resources we can find, often using agencies like Workplace Education Manitoba, industry partners, MKO, MMF, Training and Education Manitoba and UCN.

NMSC is mandated to continue in terms of the training and preparing a potential workforce for northern industry. The council’s member companies represent the largest resource based operations in Northern Manitoba and as such bring hundreds of potential jobs and career opportunities to people of the north.  For the most part the training is free for the selected candidates and they need only bring a commitment in time and energy.

Some of the training requires living in mining camps and involves relocation. Most candidates to date have received some form of training allowance either through their band, EI, or the MMF. NMSC training initiatives remain diverse in area and specialization, basically focusing of the specific  skills needed for the resource industries in northern Manitoba, be they related to forestry, mining or energy.

Cost efficiencies of geothermal meeting widespread approval

Look at housing and infrastructure and you should be looking at geothermal, says Inez Miller of Manitoba Geothermal Energy Alliance (MGEA). “It doesn’t matter where you look in the province, the business arrangements work.” Miller says, “Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs is expressing interest in geothermal from an overall planning perspective. They tell us it has a strong appeal based on funding, access to resources, and other issues that could make projects successful.”

MGEA wants to be positioned to address areas of concern expressed by AMC in workshops. She notes that Darcy Wood, AMC housing and infrastructure manager, made a presentation to MGEA this spring that contained a lot of statistical analysis about housing needs assessments. “It was an excellent presentation. Geothermal presents phenomenal opportunities and we learned about the issues around potable water that could be tied to geothermal systems.”

Brian Soulier works at AMC on geothermal issues, “What we did last March was host a workshop in a technology working group that focused on the economic development with people in finance, human resources, environment, and infrastructure or housing planning. Our workshops brought together First Nations to communicate about advancements in technology.”

One topic of discussion was geothermal, and Miller spoke about MGEA as did Ed Lohrenz, Vice President of MGEA, Ron Robins, MGEA president, “and Cross Lakes First Nation presented on their success story with a 38-unit housing installation in a district loop. Franklin Ross came with their contractor to discuss installation and the obstacles that were overcome.”

Soulier said, “Knowledge exchange with First Nations communities helps those who are interested and assists others who perceive it cautiously, stating that geothermal is too complicated or too costly. The expense depends on the priority of the community, those seeking good infrastructure solutions with long run cost efficiencies will find the economic capacity. We are advocating geothermal for the communities in Manitoba.”

Winnipeg Geothermal’s Ron Robins is serving president of MGEA. Board members are competitors and Robins is owner of a geothermal  installer company doing design and installation, conducting geological drilling assessments for heat exchange arrays for either commercial buildings or apartment blocks.

Friesen Drillers is owned by John Friesen, operating a third generation family business drilling in Manitoba since the late 1800s. Frieson is a board member MGEU, “We work all over Canada,” from an operational centre in Steinbach, Manitoba. “Drilling in the Canadian Shield is more expensive, even so, you get thermal conductivity in the shield that is higher than average, so it’s a positive geothermal situation that is more expensive to access with the same payback on BTUs, although the cost to drill goes up.”

Geothermal drilling occurs in rock, clay, limestone, any conditions. One of the important geothermal options is called an open loop, which extracts heat from a dedicated water well and returns the water to another well. “If you are in rural Manitoba and need a water well, you can use that same well to extract geothermal energy and drill an extra well to act as a return well. We do a fair bit of that. By nature our first love was drilling for water.”

Friesen says, “Geothermal provides huge cost efficiencies over the long term. In the urban environment, commercial geothermal installations provide huge energy savings in apartment blocks. Commercial arrays work for major manufacturing companies like Bristol Aerospace, which uses high heat processes in manufacturing and they take ground water out for cooling. Acquiring water rights for allows for licensing groundwater systems, a scenario for which we engineer and design systems, be they closed or open loop systems.”

Drills come from various drill manufacturers, and Friesen has a large number of different drills for the variety of jobs the company engages. “My company is now in it since 1892. I’ve been in geothermal since 1972 on the residential side and the commercial side since 1976. In the past five years residential geothermal has exploded into a major part of the business, and it keeps growing as more customers are able to justify the $18,000 to $25,000 upfront costs.”

Sealing the drilled loops is done meticulously with thermal-enhanced grout, which contain very low conductivity values, “We do bore holes up to 600 ft. in Winnipeg and around Manitoba, and the concern is always to preserve ecological integrity of aquifers, separate water tables, and to avoid contamination of fresh water by salt water aquifers.”

He notes, “We have to protect these water tables. Geothermal drillers are going through ground water and grouting creates the security, which takes time and money.” The company does extensive training of drillers, pump installers, and all facets of operations, with a staff of 65, including a hydrologist engineer, “a rare breed. There is lots of competition in the industry. We do a lot of training and skills development in drilling and various technologies.”

Lee Robins of CleanEnergy says, “We provide complete geo-exchange installation on large commercial projects.   The company distributes GeoStar Heat Pumps, which  are available with ten year parts and  labour allowance factory warranties, and a life expectancy of 25 to 30 years,

“Geothermal takes heat out of the ground in winter and releases it into the (building)., During summer it takes the heat from the building and releases to the ground. The dual purpose makes it more efficient - then there’s the type of loop weather it be it an open system, drilled, buried loops, or lake or ocean loops. We have in-house engineers that can provide complete design, energy analysis and life cycle analysis.  They work extensively in commercial projects, estimating proper heat and cooling loads estimating proper heat and cooling loads that contribute to an efficient environmentally friendly system.

Robins says, “The heat gathering loops are designed to serve the equipment, and loops are designed according to geography, as well as financial feasibility. Around the country recreation facilities are using geothermal  adaptations to rinks and halls or swimming pools to exchange heat, moving heat energy from one place for use in another. District loops are very good options wider community-use. I’ve been in geothermal since 1988 and I used to be surprised how long it was taking to get it started. Now the cost of everything related to energy is growing, and the green initiatives are part of the new equations.. Big innovations in efficiencies and quality of materials have made the geothermal investment better than ever.”

Crystal Thibeault is an executive on the board of MGEA and owns International Pipe Manufacture in Selkirk, Manitoba, which markets specialized pipe across Canada to both coasts, from Truro to Bella Coola, and places between like Berens River, Manitoba. Water pipe, electrical pipe, and geothermal pipe. “We put your pipe in the ground and manufacture up six inch pipe, and geothermal uses a technically proficient plastic pipe called high density polyethylene (HDPE)

Geothermal dialogue regards First Nations projects in Canada

NextEnergy's Dave Weber describes geothermal energy this way, "It's not complicated, in fact it's really quite simple. A heat exchanger works the same as a refrigerator, and what it's doing is taking heat from the ground and with a heat pump it's sending heat through the house. The heat pump goes in the basement to replace the gas or oil furnace and the ground heat is extracted by pipes laid in the ground, with horizontal arrays generally excavated to about 6 feet in depth, or from holes drilled a couple hundred feet deep."
     

Weber says, "When the ground extraction is from an array of drilled holes the depth is generally about 200 feet. Making a vertical array shrinks the footprint of the ground loop array, but it's more expensive to go vertical because the drilling cost is higher than the cost of excavation." Weber maintains that the expense may be higher but the process remains feasible. "With specialization in the drilling equipment and process the cost is coming down a bit. Unlike a water well hole you only drill about 5 inches wide. The pipe goes down and there are two u-shaped bends that return the ground-heated water to the heat exchanger."
     

He adds, "In the horizontal array you go below the frost-line, sometimes as deep as eight feet, depending on the climate. Either system is returning ground heat to a NextEnergy geothermal heat pump." The heat exchange units carry a 10 year warranty on the machinery, one of the most comprehensive in the industry. NextEnergy is a strong advocate of complying with industry standards making sure all the installations are done by the right people. "NextEnergy personally hand picks our certified contractors and put them through a rigorous selection process before we sign them on. They are all trained and certified by our in-house experts."
     

Weber says, "These are all independent contractors working in a period of unbelievable growth of this technology." The company's network of installers is setting the bar. He notes that current federal and provincial incentives permit up to $9,000 to be invested in green energy solutions by householders in some provinces, although different circumstances probably apply to Indian Reserves, where the Canada Economic Action Plan is currently underway.
    

 "Geothermal is basically solar energy because the sun heats the earth and pipes are extracting the heat," says Weber. "The systems use 3/4 inch plastic pipe looped in an array that runs across an excavated area to create the energy source. Calculations are based on the size and heat loss of the house, ground conditions and climate. The flow of the loop is controlled by a flow-centre monitoring system mounted on the wall." The regulated flow applies to individual circuits and the flow conducts through the acreage or you can do a pond loop to extract heat from the water. Ground loops can also be pre-arranged in subdivisions by the developer. There are geothermal subdivisions like Sun Rivers in Kamloops, BC.
     

Ground Source Drilling Ltd. is expert in geothermal drilling  for residential and commercial purposes. "We are based in Kelowna, B.C., and serve many locations throughout both B.C. and Alberta," says Lori Faasse, general manager. They are geothermal drillers only, "Specializing in this one field allows us to be extremely competitive in our pricing. Our drillers are certified through the BC Ministry of Environment and all of our drill rigs are successful at working in many different mud and air rotary conditions. We have good working relationships with many regional heat pump installers. We can work directly with you or through your installer and if you do not have a geothermal system installer we can assist you in finding one. We want to help you meet your geothermal goals."
     

The company is a family-owned and operated business with many years of experience in the drilling business. "Drilling holes for geothermal is different depending on the area. You will have to drill to 300 feet maximum in some areas, but on average the depth of hole is about 200 feet," says Faase. "The number of holes to be drilled depends on the ground type involved and the size of the house to be heated."  Ground Source Drilling does the drilling for Sun Rivers Construction in the award winning Kamloops subdivision that leads with innovation in 'greening' their community, in part by building geothermal heating and air-conditioning systems into their house construction since 1999.
    

 "Our drilling for them is on-going and it continues to be a show-piece housing development in geothermal construction. The drilling portion of a geothermal/geo-exchange installation costs anywhere between $8,000 and $15,000 for a house, depending on the size of the house and the number and depth of holes in the array of drilled ground loops." Faase says there are a few areas in the province where you can't do a geothermal installation because the cost of drilling becomes prohibitive, but they work in B.C. and Alberta installing these ground loops and, "usually the first test holes will prove it."
     

Progressive Geothermal Ltd. is a geothermal installation company that operates out of Kitimat, B.C., "I've been installing geothermal and geo-exchange systems in the North West Coast for the past three years," says Paul Silvestre, the principle of the company that installs Nordic Canadian heat exchange systems designed and built in Petitcodiac, New Brunswick. "I trained on the installation of geothermal systems in Calgary and did residential and designer installation courses. It was a two-week course and I went into it as a journeyman heavy-duty mechanic."
    

 He liked the concept from deciding on the heating method to be installed on his own property. "Retrofits are definitely do-able. I would typically go to an engineering firm and design the system based on the heat-loss calculation of the building," says Silvestre. "I would do a site visit and check the age of the building, the walls and windows, the type of insulation, and we would determine the number of BTU's required to heat the building."
     

Silvestre says the northern reaches of B.C. where he lives and works contains many communities that are diesel dependent for their heat, and it might well be electric heat. "They need electrical energy to heat the water in their houses. Cost efficiencies would be found in extracting heat from the ground for houses instead of burning diesel to create electricity to heat houses."; while heat exchangers require electricity the electrical demand on the diesel generator would drop by a significant amount.
     

"I've done vertical systems where the pipes are laid into drilled holes, and I've done horizontal arrays in the Kitimat region." Silvestre says it takes about a day and a half to install a slinky coil horizontal loop of about 100 feet by 50 feet with a depth of about 6 to 8 feet, depending on the soil. "The loops of slinky coil use a lot less ground area and reduced excavation brings down costs." The loops contain a solution or water to extract the earth's heat which is circulated through the Nordic heat exchanger, and "You're not losing effectiveness with a properly coiled horizontal ground loop. The more expensive way comes when drilling an open loop at $40 per foot down two wells to the required depth." The depth varies depending on the availability of water whereupon one well extracts the water for the heat exchanger while the other well returns source  ground water to the aquifer.
    

 Silvestre refers next to the closed loop method of extracting heat from the earth, "It's called the closed loop of multiple wells joined at the 'header' that can be located in the basement of the building and this header has multiple valves to control circulation from the wells." The heat exchanger will generate four tonnes of 'refrigeration' power which is enough to heat or cool a 2,000 sq ft house. A Nordic unit of the required  size costs between $4,500 and $5,000. "The most expensive aspect of a geothermal installation is the excavation or drilling for heat extraction."
     

Regarding the expense of design and installation of geothermal systems, it is the rising cost of hydro and natural gas (and the cost to install natural gas lines) or burn diesel or propane that should be factored into the investment. "There is also the reduction of green house gases and the quiet way of heating the system affords." At his location on the Pacific coast there are communities that would be able to install ocean loops as the way to extract the constant heat of the ocean water. "For some communities there may be added cost because of government regulation and worries about losing the loops to an active fishery. Hartley Bay is a community right beside the ocean and they installed a horizontal ground loop system," partly because it was safer in consideration for their active fishery in immediate vicinity of their village on Hecate Strait.
     

Greenray Geothermal has been installing geothermal energy systems for the past four years  along the Sunshine Coast of B.C., doing installations from Gibsons to Pender Harbour. Joe Fleischer a Next Energy dealer who became a certified installer with Canadian GeoExchange Coalition certification. Fleischer says Canada has variety in the opportunities to employ geothermal and geo-exchange technology to heat homes and save on energy consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, "Ocean loops are popular forms of extracting geothermal energy on the west coast," a system of pipes that extracts the constant heat in the ocean to be used for house and hot water heating or air-conditioning in the summer.
     

He notes this form of heat extraction can also be achieved from lakes or ponds, "Ocean loops and geo-exchange arrays in lakes and ponds are very compact, 10 feet by 25 feet of coiled pipe will supply 4,000 tonnes of extractable heat energy." (1,000 tonnes of geothermal energy is the equivalent of 24,000 BTUs ant that is enough 'heat exchanged energy' to make a tonne of ice in 24 hours.)
    

The application of this energy source is becoming more common every day, "The new BC Ferry terminal at Departure Bay is heated and cooled by geothermal extracted by ocean loop." Ocean loops are unobtrusive and highly efficient both in extracting energy for minimal cost but also for the low cost of installation. An array of pipes can be arranged under a dock or pier and the energy extraction process can proceed with either water or methanol or ethanol propoline glycol flowing inside the geo-exchange array of loops. "The ocean has so much thermal mass that it efficiently pays for itself." Fleischer says ocean loops are efficient and affordable.
     

Horizontal ground loop arrays are put in the ground usually less than 8 feet deep beneath an excavation, "Sechelt First Nation put an underground geothermal array, known as a ground loop, to feed heat energy into five houses." Elsehwhere he says the method in the City of Vancouver is usually to drill from 150 feet to 300 feet to extract heat energy from the earth. "It costs about $15 a foot to drill the holes where it is a feasible ground heat source and one hole will supply 1,000 tonne of geothermal energy so it takes four holes to heat and cool a 2,000 square foot house and supply hot water." Sound proofing around the heat exchange unit makes for a quiet that surpasses air blown furnace heat.
     

Fleischer recently did a geo-exchange installation in Powell River on the Sunshine Coast, and says, "I'd like to get involved with training some people to do geothermal because the demand for installations is growing." There is presently a shortage of installers." Geothermal companies need people qualified to install it, "and it's a physical job," with excavations usually done by hired contractors, then, once the pipes are laid, there are pressure tests to conduct on pipes that are arrayed in tight concentric loops.

     

Pipes are warrantied for 50 years. They call geothermal taking heat from the lap of mother nature, "It's a pure form of heat unlike combustion furnaces that exceed 180 degrees of burning temperatures," literally frying the dust that is blown into the house, and geothermal extraction can come from creative thinking and new sources, "There is a trend in the US toward tapping municipal water systems for their geothermic mass."
    

Jim Croken has been installing geothermal and geoexhange systems in the Okanagan region of B.C. and beyond for the past ten years, and his son Nick has taken an educational pathway into mechanical engineering that will take the family business much farther than Jim might have imagined. Nick is a believer in the geothermal business, knowledgeable enough to write a scholarship-winning treatise about a unique geo-exchange project that took a different tack. Geothermal requires a heat source, water or ground, and these sources equal amazing cost efficiencies in the production of heat energy. Nick studied a geo-exchange project that took heat from the milk extracted from cows and returned it into barn heat, producing ideal conditions for milking in all seasons.
     

"I built my house ten years ago when I was an electrical contractor," says Jim,  "The gas company informed me that it would cost $10,000 to get a gas-line to my house." Jim started doing the research and discovered a business opportunity that fit nicely within his skills and business sense. Soon he was building an enterprise around what seemed like a simple solution for his own purposes. Since then he's done over 200 installations from the Okanagan to Fort St. John, including everything from residential to agricultural (dairy barns, chicken coops) and multi-family dwellings, like 30 unit condominiums. "We target our business opportunities that are off the natural gas grid and those are a lot of places in B.C., including most of the territory east of Revelstoke. 

60 year Altagas agreement is rather unheard of

Myles Dougan is Vice-President in charge of communications at Altagas, speaking to the Forrest Kerr Run-of-River Hydro project that is proceeding in northern B.C. within the traditional territory of the Tahltan Nation. Dougan says, “This is a really good project that we are proceeding with, establishing long-term relationships with the Tahltan and BC Hydro.”

 

The project is signed with a 60-year agreement to sell power to BC Hydro, 195 MWh, enough to power 70,000 homes, “The 60-year agreement is rather unheard of,” says Dougan, “twenty, twenty-five are common, but 60 years is quite something.” The signings include transmission agreements. “That is the expectation.”

 

The project is under construction and initial clearing of the site is done, “and we are proceeding with the second half of initial construction. Everything is proceeding toward a completion date that will see power delivered to grid by 2014.

The Forrest Kerr Project will channel a portion of the Iskut River flow through a tunnel to an underground powerhouse, where it will pass through turbines to produce electricity before it is returned to the river. The Forrest Kerr Project was issued an environment assessment certificate in March 2010. Site development activities are currently underway and AltaGas anticipates initiating construction immediately.

 

"This project represents an exciting partnership for AltaGas with the Tahltan Nation and with the Government of British Columbia,” added Mr. Cornhill. “The Forrest Kerr Project will be a significant renewable energy asset, and is supported by 40 years of hydrology data and analysis.”

AltaGas and the Tahltan Nation have established a strong working relationship that will see the people of the Tahltan Nation having employment and business opportunities and economic participation in the Forrest Kerr Project.

 "The Tahltan Nation is proud of this Impact Benefit Agreement with Coast Mountain Hydro Corp. and the increased economic security that it will provide for generations to come,” said Annita McPhee, Chair, Tahltan Central Council. “This agreement establishes ownership, management of our resources and profit sharing while taking into consideration the protection of our environment as a renewable energy project. This IBA will set the bar for resource development projects and demonstrates the results of a successful relationship with a company in Tahltan Territory that respects our Aboriginal title and rights"

The Forrest Kerr construction site located in northwest British Columbia, about 100 km from Stewart, BC., AltaGas expects the Forrest Kerr Project to be the first of three run-of-river power generation projects in the area. The company continues development of its McLymont Creek and Volcano Creek projects.

 

“The Forrest Kerr Project represents an important evolution in AltaGas’ power business as we continue to build long-term contracted generation assets,” said David Cornhill, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AltaGas. “These projects will provide the people of British Columbia with clean and reliable power from a significant water resource. For our investors, this announcement comes at an important time in history as governments move to reduce emissions while building for the future.”

The Forrest Kerr Project is to be constructed wholly within Tahltan Nation traditional territory and is estimated to cost a total of approximately $700 million. Once completed, the project will offset more than 450,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas equivalents annually. The Forrest Kerr Project will deliver electricity to the terminus point of a 287-kV Northwest Transmission Line (NTL), near Bob Quinn, BC. (BC Hydro is developing the NTL.)

Meanwhile Altagas successfully completed of the Bear Mountain Wind Energy Project at Dawson Creek, B.C., after they began erecting wind turbines in May 2009. By July 2009, the first wind turbine was completed, and by October the construction of 34 wind turbines was completed, on budget and ahead of schedule. “So far the electrical generation is not quite as strong as we had hoped,” but time, and more wind, will tell the story.

Klahoose First Nation setting an independent economic development course for the future

A new Klahoose First Nation administration facility puts a beautiful face on the future overlooking Desolation Sound from Squirrel Cove is being built from, "our own-source revenue that is funding the buildings," explains Chief Ken Brown. James Delorme editor of the Klahoose F.N.'s daily current account of the nation, says, "From the Squirrel Cove store you can clearly see the massive beams competing with the trees in the skyline. The main rafters are in place and now the final roof is being installed. Windows are near completion and walls are being erected to finish the various rooms inside."
    

Chief Brown, says, "No federal money is being used to build these structures. We are trying to get away from the dependency on INAC for our own community development." The chief wants to break the cycle of easy-come-easy-go federal transfer payments, a dependency cycle that grew in part from the wreckage left by Residential School system.
    

The chief says, "We are looking at what delivers results to our members, and we continue to promote the process of healing within our community," regarding these issues and the Chief who grew up in the nearby Comox Valley because Klahoose people stood in exile for many years in their history, exile by poverty that is.
    

The Nations being cut-off from their territory and left with a patchwork of the Indian Reserve properties, most of which became deserted by the people, for a complexity of reasons most of which are really bad news for Indian people, including that system that ran stolen children through a tortuous gauntlet that destroyed national aspirations and personal well-being in countless numbers of lives.
    

Construction of an 8-plex housing project starts now. This will create community restoration. The 11 or so Klahoose Indian Reserves may be largely deserted, but a couple hundred people with growing families can look to the future of a place in the Cortes Island community that survived the onsluaht and now begins to thrive again.
    

It is job-one with the chief to make skill development a priority that neatly follows healing. The chief envisions the future where his able people return and reconstitute their former ways of industrious activity. It stems from healing, indeed, and the chief says, "We believe in the whole idea of Residential School healing. Workshops must continue to promote well-being and encourage our people to reach higher to a better future for themselves and the generations to come."
    

He also needs healthy and well adjusted people to steer the course, "We have a lot of balls in the air, juggling a host of opportunities to set an independent course for our community." A solid start is the Klahoose First Nation involvement with run-of-river hydro developments underway with Plutonic Power. The power projects are important, a steady stream of economic output flowing through Klahoose First Nation entities.
    

Forestry in the Toba Valley is a further keystone in their planning. "That is one source of investment and management and employment opportunities we are putting together for the members of Klahoose. We are changing the approach we take to the future as a community," says Brown.
   

 The Klahoose economic development activities include growing mussels, a mariculture industry in their native waters. It is the modern reality of First Nation communities, says Brown, "that the welfare culture has to be broken and thrown on the scrap heap. It has thrown all First Nation communities for a loop." 
     

Klahoose is a village of 80 people on Cortes Island. There does exist no less than another 200-plus members elsewhere and they would like to return to their traditional territory, still in their possession and tribal members. The community making opportunity possible by drawing people into Klahoose reserve on Cortes, beginning with new housing in the form of a six-plex housing development.
    

This will be followed by a series of building schedules on new housing. The other reserves may remain deserted for awhile, but new things are going under construction this spring and summer of 2010, and lasting into the autumn. In fact this month saw Slegg Lumber's Richard Maris delivering loads of lumber to get the process of construction started this month.
     

Brown says, "With our economic base we are bringing the blood back into the village. Klahoose has a number of uninhabited Reserve properties but the Cortes property has always contained the village." The economic foundations are laid so now there is a demand of labour and an opportunity for skill development, but it doesn't stop there. "We have big forestry development opportunities as well, including forestry that will ensue from the power developments in Toba Inlet," says the chief.
     

Klahoose are Coast Salish with close ties to Sliammon First Nation in the vicinity of Powell River. A lot of work gets done in Powell River on the forestry side in Klahoose. Late Autumn of 2009, "Chief Ken Brown signed the documents to complete the conversion of Tree Farm License 10 to Community Forest Agreement (CFA) K4C. The official licensee remains Klahoose Forestry Limited Partnership, which is operating for the sole benefit of Klahoose First Nation," says a leading forestry article on the Klahoose website (see 'Klahoose Converts Tree Farm License').
     

Editor James Delorme continues, "This was a key piece of the Incremental Treaty Agreement signed in March and a big step forward for us ensuring sustainable management of the valley and economic success for this business venture. This conversion is a first in the province and Klahoose now owns one of the largest CFAs in the province. In terms of re-branding, we may want to start referring to ourselves as Klahoose Community Forest (in Toba River valley)."
     

Chris Roddan of Qathen Xwegus Management Corporation, and a partner in Theechim Forest Management  says, "In our approved CFA Management Plan, we have committed to undertaking a timber supply review process and new AAC calculation before September 2011." The community forest planners engaged by Klahoose First Nation are proceeding after the First Nation obtained Forest Investment Account funding to begin the planning process.
     

"Along with long term timber supply planning, we have to develop strategic plans for conservation of old growth and wildlife habitat," says F. Oathen Xwegus and Theechim Management Group are the forestry management and engineering companies owned by Klahoose First Nation. A & A Trading of Vancouver is moving a lot of the timber into market for Klahoose.