S TANDARD TERRACE
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VOL. 25 NO. 50
www.terracestandard.com
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Another power line announced THE CONTINUING effort to push the provincial power grid into the far reaches of northwestern B.C. got a bit clearer last week with the announcement of a 93km power line that will stretch up Hwy37 North. The 287 kilovolt line will start at Bob Quinn on Hwy37 North where the 340km long Northwest Transmission Line, also 287 kilovolts, which is now under construction, is to end. It’s being called the Iskut extension but actually stops short at Tatogga Lake which is south of Iskut. This new line will provide power to the Imperial Metals Red Chris copper and gold mine under devel-
opment about 20km to the east of Tatogga Lake. A distribution line will be built to the mine site by Imperial. A smaller capacity line of about 16km will reach even further north from Tatogga Lake to Iskut, which now uses diesel generators. Under a complex agreement negotiated over a number of years, Imperial Metals will pay for the construction of the 287 kilovolt extension and BC Hydro will then buy it off of the mining company. BC Hydro will build the smaller line from Tatogga Lake to Iskut by itself. Imperial official Byng Giraud said Imperial will sell the 93km
line to BC Hydro for far less than what it will cost to build. “We’re building it because we need the line,” said Giraud. “This will serve our purposes as well as the public need.” He said the 287 kilovolt capacity of the line is greater than that needed by Imperial, paving the way for other companies to use power from it for their own purposes. “This should not be regarded as a subsidy,” he added of the money to be spent by Imperial to build the line. Imperial Metals is estimating, pending receipt of permits and final costs, an expenditure of $80
million. BC Hydro will pay $52 million to Imperial for the line, meaning the company will closely watch expenditures, said Giraud. Estimates prepared for BC Hydro some years ago pegged the cost of building a 287 kilovolt line all the way from Bob Quinn to Iskut at more than $100 million. Imperial and other companies who will use the Northwest Transmission Line and the extension will also pay a specific tariff to BC Hydro to defray the cost of the Northwest Transmission Line. Giraud said the extension should be finished in May 2014, the same time period Imperial wants to start
operating its Red Chris mine. Imperial has taken on the Tahltan Nation Development Corporation as a partner in the extension project. Giraud said a company skilled in power line construction has yet to be chosen. The province has exempted the extension from being reviewed by the BC Utilities Commission, saying it did so to speed up the construction timetable. Construction is still subject to provincial permitting but the extension will not go through the kind of extensive environmental review undertaken for the Northwest Transmission Line.
Local business files lawsuit ONE OF the local companies that’s done work at a multimillion dollar industrial project southwest of Terrace has filed a lawsuit saying it’s owed more than $100,000. Main Logging filed the suit March 14, stating Dowland Contracting Ltd., which had been hired by the owner of the Dasque-Middle run-of-river hydroelectric project to be its primary contractor, hasn’t paid it $110,752 for work done at the site. As listed in suit details, Main says it entered into an oral contract with Dowland in or about August 2012 to provide “trucking services necessary to carry out the installation of penstock pipe ….” “Pursuant to the contract, Main invoiced Dowland a total of $202,832.82, including applicable taxes for the work,” the suit states. “To date, Dowland has paid Main a total of $92,080.24, for the work performed.” The suit further claims “Dowland has refused or neglected to make payment of the outstanding amounts, despite demand.” As of late last week, Dowland had yet to respond to the suit. Dowland also owes money to other Terrace companies stemming from work contracted at the Dasque-Middle project which is owned by the Calgary energy firm, Veresen. Dowland was hired by Veresen in the spring of 2012. Veresen has already said it is not responsible for business dealings between Dowland and the companies it hired. “Main Logging thought it prudent to take legal course to try and satisfy their debt,” said Chris Moore, one of the lawyers hired by Main. Dowland has since pulled its people and equipment from the $80 million project and has sent a notice to companies saying it is owned money by Veresen. A March 6, 2013 memo sent by Dowland to its subcontractors and suppliers said that “Dowland has performed a significant amount of work for which we are owed payment by Veresen and, due to the owner’s unwillingness to compensate Dowland as per agreements, we have submitted several claims.”
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CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
■■ Shredding the north young snowboarders compete in the Ruins Cup at Shames Mountain March 16. Ski and snowboard ridercross events with categories for all ages saw competitors take their turns to see who was the best and who would collect some of the $2,000 in prize money.
Kids helping kids
Parole petition
Girl power
Veritas ‘kindness club’ thinks about others for its weekly random acts \COMMUNITY A16
Family fights killer’s application for freedom for fourth time \NEWS A13
Terrace’s Bantam Female Reps bring home gold as provincial champions \SPORTS A26