Charlie Smith raises some excellent points about the retrogressive move of BC Hydro to an increased reliance on coal-derived electricity and the presence of people on the board of directors with connections to the coal industry ["BC Hydro Exec gets on Board With Coal Company", August 12-19]. Approximately 90 percent of the electricity we require in B.C. can be generated from existing hydro sources. Until green energy sources are developed, it makes sense to generate electricity from the natural gas-fired Burrard Thermal plant, which can provide about 10 percent of BC Hydro's capacity. Installation of emission controls at the plant in Port Moody has hugely decreased its impact on local air quality. For example, in 2000, while operating at 44 percent of its capacity, Burrard Thermal produced only 0.2 percent of the smog-producing gases in the lower Fraser Valley.

BC Hydro officials claim that electricity generated from this plant is too expensive and not cost-competitive with that derived from coal-derived sources. Yet it is BC Hydro's own policies for natural-gas purchase that make operation of Burrard Thermal costly. If BC Hydro purchased natural gas for Burrard through long-term contracts, it would be much less expensive than to purchase it on the "spot" market, which is what happens now.

Recent provincial and BC Hydro policies that favour coal have almost shut down Burrard Thermal. At the same time, the provincial government has prohibited BC Hydro from developing any green energy sources and forced it to abandon plans to develop micro-hydro. We should be demanding that BC Hydro be allowed to develop renewable energy resources such as wind and micro-hydro and use Burrard Thermal to back up these less reliable sources of energy. Instead, up to 10 percent of the electricity we use in B.C. is now imported and obtained from dirty sources such as coal and nuclear.

Elaine Golds

Port Moody