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 District 5Factors affecting construction (December 2007) By Mike Spiruda, Member Representative Shops in the area connected to the road building, mining and oil and gas industries have remained quite busy through 2007. The $38 million Enerplex facility has just broken ground in Fort St. John and a general contractor should be announced soon. The September sale of oil and gas land rights in B.C. resulted in a record $265.2 million in bonus bids for the month. Despite this, drilling for natural gas will not continue at the record pace of the last few years due to the increase in value of the Canadian dollar and lower prices for the commodity itself. The oil and gas industry in Alberta may soon be required to pay more money to the government for the commodities it extracts from underground. This could mean a noticeable downturn in the drilling industry there. Until the issue is settled, northeastern B.C. could be the big beneficiary with a moderately sized, stable and steady exploration program being the result. Aeolis Wind Energy cleared its largest hurdle when it received the environmental certification for its $240 million wind turbine park. It is now beginning the permit process. With 57 turbines near Dawson Creek, this project is expected to produce enough electricity to power 38,000 homes. The provincial government has changed legislation to prevent B.C. Hydro from building new power generation projects. Hydro can only expand projects it currently owns. I hope the decision makers see the value in the Site C Dam proposal and support this project rather than the more problematic alternatives like nuclear energy, fossil fuels or the take-or-pay private hydro electric projects. Those options would be much more costly for B.C. taxpayers in the long run. Merry Christmas and here’s wishing you a safe and prosperous 2008. |
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