The Metropolis of Williams Lake, B.C., is asking on the province to step in to stop the closure of a power plant essential to native employment and the municipality’s backside line.
The Atlantic Energy facility generates sufficient electrical energy to energy about 50,000 houses by burning wooden waste.
It’s accountable for about 40 full-time jobs and pays about $1.7 million in direct taxes to town yearly.
“I might need to close down half of metropolis corridor,” Williams Lake Mayor Surinderpal Rathor mentioned of the looming closure.
“That is the one largest taxpayer to the neighborhood.”
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The Atlantic Energy plant gave discover final February that it was going to drag out of the neighborhood, citing an incapacity to stay worthwhile below its present contract with BC Hydro.
Williams Lake Metropolis Councillor Scott Nelson mentioned that’s as a result of, with the closure of native sawmills and upgrades to others to enhance their effectivity, easy-to-access wooden fibre has turn into extra scarce.
As a substitute, the corporate now sources inputs from the encircling Chilcotin Plateau, accumulating the waste wooden left by wildfires and useless wooden that would turn into gasoline for future wildfires, he mentioned.
“As you go additional out, you cut back the fires, however it additionally prices extra to convey this into Atlantic Energy,” he mentioned.
Nelson mentioned it is senseless to shutter a plant that’s producing native electrical energy when the province is already importing energy from the U.S. because of latest droughts, and whereas the U.S. is threatening huge tariffs on Canada.
Rathor mentioned the corporate is weeks away from issuing layoff notices to employees, one thing he mentioned may devastate the neighborhood.
Town is asking on Premier David Eby to step in and guarantee BC Hydro negotiates a brand new contract — one thing Rathor says the province promised.
“He has at all times delivered on his guarantees and I’m hopeful he’ll ship on his promise on this one too, however the time is operating out.”
The Vitality Ministry mentioned it acknowledges the significance of the plant, and the premier had created a cross-government crew to work with Atlantic on options. These embrace offering the corporate with further gasoline provide choices.
It mentioned BC Hydro had additionally amended its electrical energy buy settlement with the corporate in October to offer the working group extra time to provide you with long-term options to the inexpensive fibre-supply drawback.
Within the meantime, metropolis officers stay on edge on the prospect of shedding a key element of their native economic system.
“Atlantic Energy is getting near saying ‘that’s it, we’re gone,’” Nelson mentioned.
“I’m very fearful.”
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