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2003/04 Annual Service Plan Report
Ministry of Energy and Mines
Ministry Role and Services
Ministry Overview
Since 1874, the Ministry of Energy and Mines has been the primary
provincial ministry responsible for British Columbia's energy and
minerals sectors. Today those sectors include the industries that
produce and market natural gas, oil, electricity and energy including
hydrogen, coal, metals, industrial minerals and aggregates. Over
the past three years, these sectors have contributed substantially
to the economy throughout the heartlands of the province and to
the provincial Treasury.
The Ministry's primary responsibilities are to:
- Market and promote British Columbia as a competitive location
for resource industry investment;
- Provide geoscience surveys and access to related data to attract
exploration investment for coal, minerals and oil and gas;
- Enhance British Columbia's position as a key player in global
energy, mineral and coal markets;
- Create a competitive regulatory environment that makes it easier
and cost-effective for companies to do business in British Columbia;
- Encourage responsible development of British Columbia's energy
and mineral resources;
- Ensure protection of the environment;
- Protect public and worker health and safety;
- Build relationships to facilitate First Nations' participation
in the energy and mining sectors;
- Build opportunities with communities and the energy and mining
sectors;
- Undertake assessments to determine British Columbia's resource
potential;
- Develop policies to nurture new resource and energy development
opportunities;
- Advocate technological innovation in British Columbia's conventional
resource and alternative energy sectors; and
- Manage the disposition and administration of Crown mineral,
coal, oil, gas and geothermal rights.
The Ministry administers 25 statutes that deal with the range of
government responsibilities with respect to the energy and mining
sectors. The Ministry is organized by sector and service provision.
- Mining and Minerals Division — The Mining and Minerals
Division manages the development of British Columbia's mineral
resources, and implements policies and programs to encourage their
development while maintaining environmental integrity. In addition,
the Ministry regulates and inspects the mineral exploration and
production industries in B.C. to protect the workers, the public
and the environment.
- Oil and Gas Division — The Province's oil and natural
gas sector continues to be a significant economic engine in British
Columbia's economy, as well as a substantial revenue generator
for the Province. In 2003/04, this sector contributed $2.032 billion
to provincial revenue, an increase of 35 per cent over the previous
fiscal year. British Columbia's oil and gas industry was particularly
robust and saw continued growth in exploration activity in 2003/04.
The past year has seen a number of significant policy developments
as part of the Government's efforts to enhance British Columbia's
competitiveness, as well as to increase investment in the energy
and mining sectors.
- Electricity and Alternative Energy Division — The
Ministry is the primary provincial agency for the development
of policies, legislation, regulations and programs to support
low cost, reliable electricity supply; alternative energy resource
development and use; energy efficiency; and related private sector
investments. The Ministry also oversees the statutory and policy
framework for three major energy Crown corporations: BC Hydro,
BC Transmission Corporation (BCTC) and the Columbia Power Corporation.
The Ministry is responsible for the provincial government's role
in Columbia River Treaty matters, and represents provincial interests
on a variety of inter-jurisdictional electricity, alternative
energy and energy efficiency issues.
- Titles Division — The Titles Division operates
the disposition process for provincial oil and gas, underground
storage, mineral, placer mineral, coal and geothermal resource
rights; administers the resulting tenures; and maintains a provincial
registry that, at March 31, 2004, contained 12 thousand oil and
gas agreements covering 8.2 million hectares of oil and gas rights
and 38 thousand active mineral and coal tenures covering 4.6 million
hectares. Titles Division revenues for 2003/04 were almost $700
million.
- Corporate Policy and Aboriginal Relations Division —
This division supports the Minister's and Deputy Minister's offices,
and provides corporate policy support and services to the Ministry's
key lines of business. These services include executive operations,
intergovernmental relations, Aboriginal relations, strategic human
resources, correspondence, corporate policy, strategic planning,
legislation, performance tracking and data collection.
Ministry Vision, Mission and Values
Vision
Thriving, competitive, safe and environmentally responsible energy
and mining sectors significantly benefiting all British Columbians.
Mission
The Ministry of Energy and Mines facilitates investment in the
responsible development of British Columbia's energy and mineral
resources to benefit British Columbians.
Values
The following values are the Ministry's fundamental beliefs. They
define the Ministry's management style and rules of personal and
organizational behaviour.
- Advocacy — The Ministry represents the people of
British Columbia, as owners of the energy and mineral resources,
by advocating for the responsible development of those resources.
The Ministry represents the interests of the energy and mining
sectors to broader stakeholder groups and supports those sectors
in responsible development of provincial resources. The Ministry
informs the government, industry and citizens of the province
of the benefits of responsible resource development.
- Integrity — The Ministry is committed to respectful,
honest and ethical behaviour in all its communications and actions.
- Responsiveness — The Ministry is service-oriented
and responds to the needs of its stakeholders and the public in
a timely and effective manner.
- Accountability — The Ministry is accountable to
government and the public and strives to ensure that its actions
deliver the results put forth in its Service Plan. The Ministry
is effective and efficient in delivering timely services and implementing
sound financial management.
- Professionalism — The Ministry is committed to
maintaining the highest levels of both technical competency and
public service values, and encouraging innovation and creativity.
- Partnership Building — The Ministry promotes teamwork,
good working relationships and effective partnerships with others.
Ministry Operating Context
The operating context is an assessment of the general environment
the ministry, and the mining and energy sectors faced during the
2003/04 fiscal year. The section describes some key external factors,
as well as identifies internal government factors that have affected
ministry operations. This section also identifies some of the current
and potential challenges facing the ministry, and the energy and
mining sectors.
British Columbia's energy sector has seen robust growth over the
past few years and has emerged to become an increasingly important
contributor to British Columbia's economy, as well as a significant
primary resource revenue generator for the Province. British Columbia's
oil and gas industry was particularly robust and saw continued growth
in exploration activity in 2003/04. For the first time, oil and
gas revenues topped the $2 billion mark. Energy prices are expected
to remain strong.
British Columbia's mining industry began a recovery in 2003 that
is expected to extend through 2004 and beyond. Strong world mineral
markets and robust prices should support sustained growth extending
through 2006. Higher levels of mineral exploration, increased production
at existing mines and several mine restarts and/or new mine developments
are anticipated. Higher levels of employment, profitability and
tax payments will accompany this growth. Deterioration in the world
economy or other similar macro economic developments would negatively
impact these forecasts.
Gross mining industry revenues for 2003 are estimated at $2.860
billion, which show little change from the $2.864 billion reported
for 2002. BC's fiscal incentive for exploration is Canada's second
best. In summary, the province is well positioned competitively
for expanding exploration, developing mines and moving through the
current recovery phase to one of sustainable growth.
Oil and Gas
- External Factors — British Columbia has an enormous
undeveloped resource base estimated to be worth billions of dollars.
This resource base includes unconventional resources such as:
coalbed gas, offshore oil and gas, tight gas, interior basins
and marginal resource plays. Coalbed gas potential is estimated
at 90 trillion cubic feet, although significant additional evaluation
of the resource must be undertaken to prove the reserves.
- Risk Assessment — Currently the province is facing
a lack of skilled workers at a time of increased activity. The
ministry, in partnership with industry, has initiated a program
to train new workers in British Columbia.
Mining and Minerals
- External Factors — The mining and mineral exploration
industry expects a significant increase in the total dollars spent
in mineral exploration. Preliminary numbers suggest exploration
investment will climb from $39 million in 2002 to $55 million
in 2003. The industry is projecting continued increases in
exploration spending in 2004 coupled with an increasing demand
for mineral commodities.
- Internal Factors — The Mining and Minerals Division
has experienced a significant increase in workload related to
the increased demand and interest in the mining and mineral exploration
sector. Over recent years the operating budget and FTE allocation
for this division have been reduced.
- Risk Assessment — During the next seven years,
all six remaining metal mines in British Columbia will have
exhausted their known reserves. Unless mine extensions or new
mines are opened, with these closures, over 2,350 direct mining
jobs will be lost by 2010.
Electricity and Alternative Energy Division
- External Factors — Increasing demand for electricity
— both provincially, and within the western North American
interconnected grid — drives the development of new electricity
generation. This in turn is influenced by economic growth, weather
(temperature affects heating and cooling loads and precipitation
affects the amount of hydro generation) and competing alternatives
such as energy efficiency and conservation. An external factor
to accessing export markets and imported power is other jurisdictions'
development of transmission infrastructure, and transmission and
electricity market policies and tariffs.
- Internal Factors — The Electricity and Alternative
Energy Division has a staff of 12. In order to achieve its
broad mandate, goals and objectives, the Division relies heavily
on partnerships with other organizations.
- Risk Assessment — The ministry's initiatives to
promote more Independent Power Production (IPP) development will
be influenced by external factors beyond the control of the Ministry,
such as growth rates in electricity demand. The Energy Plan is
expected to guide tariff and program development that will reduce
barriers to IPP development. The ministry works with the industry
and its Crown utilities to address specific issues; however, for
many issues, including contract prices and volumes with BC Hydro,
the ultimate responsibility rests with the BC Utilities Commission.
Ministry Structure and Core Business Areas
Oil and Gas Division
The Oil and Gas Division is responsible for developing innovative
policies and programs which support the growth of oil and gas supply
and production in British Columbia, significantly increasing economic
activity. Through its four branches, the Division's responsibilities
include:
Resource Assessment and Development:
- Developing and maintaining petroleum geology databases to identify
new energy opportunities and provide information for industry
reference.
- Providing communities, First Nations, the public and other stakeholders
with information on oil and gas resources, development potential
and industry activity.
Fiscal Analysis and Enhancement:
- Undertaking economic and financial analysis to develop royalty
and other policies and programs.
- Identifying, stimulating and facilitating development opportunities
for conventional, unconventional and under-explored resources.
- Assessing BC competitiveness.
Regulatory Analysis and Improvement:
- Streamlining provincial regulations that apply to the oil and
gas sector and ensuring they are efficient, effective and results
based.
- Influencing regulatory decisions that reflect BC interests in
resource development.
Infrastructure Growth and Development:
- Facilitating infrastructure development to improve access to
oil and gas resources.
- Maximizing industry-related economic opportunities by seeking
stakeholder input and involvement and by building relationships
with local service sectors.
| Key Programs |
Outputs |
| Oil and Gas Development Strategy for the Heartlands (OGDS) |
• Road infrastructure: initial allocation of royalty credits of up to $10 million annually towards the construction, upgrading and maintenance of road infrastructure in support of resource exploration and development, contingent upon an equal contribution from industry.
• Royalty regimes: new royalty rates for low-productivity natural gas; royalty credits for deep gas exploration; royalty credits for summer drilling to expand the drilling season; and design of a new "net profit" royalty regime to encourage development of unconventional gas resources such as tight gas, shale gas and new basins.
• Regulations: BC Oil and Gas Regulatory Improvement Initiative (OGRII): "results-based" regulation.
• Service Sector Strategy: the OGDS provides $500,000 in skills-development funding to be matched by industry investment to provide training opportunities to better equip British Columbians for skilled employment in the oil and gas sector. |
| Resource Road Development |
• Concluded an agreement in principle with oil and gas producers to undertake a $38 million upgrade to the Sierra-Yoyo-Desan Road.
• Completed 163 km of hard surfacing and rehabilitation at a cost of $20.143 million on Oil & Gas Initiative 2 roads in the Northeast. |
| Promote Opportunities for investment in Oil and Gas Sector |
• During fiscal year 2003/04, the Investment and Marketing Branch, in conjunction with the Oil and Gas Division, organized investment promotion events in a number of locations including Houston, Seattle, Portland, Washington, D.C., Calgary and Victoria.
|
| Coalbed Gas |
• Produced water code of practice developed jointly with the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection and the Oil and Gas Commission.
• Promotion of the resource potential through trade shows and technical conferences. |
| Mineral Ownership |
• Coalbed Gas Act enacted April 2003.
• Review of Freehold Mineral Title continuing. |
| Petroleum Geoscience |
• Analysis of oil and gas resource potential delineated for northeast BC (deep gas and tight gas).
• Developed resource assessments.
• Acquired regional oil and gas studies for northeast BC.
• Completed a number of geoscience studies. |
Mining and Minerals Division
Mining and Minerals Division is responsible for the management
of the Province's coal and mineral resources and for the regulation
of the industries that explore for and develop those resources.
The Mining and Minerals Division's responsibilities fall under
four specific areas designated as Branches and include:
Geological Survey and Development:
- Informs government of mineral resources and mineral potential
tracts;
- Provides public information on B.C. mineral resources and their
geological setting;
- Maintains accessible databases over the web, including the acclaimed
MapPlace;
- Upgrades geological knowledge about the province, which still
contains large, frontier areas; and
- Acts as a reservoir of expertise used by the mineral sector,
government and the public.
Investment and Marketing:
- Responsible for coordinating the ministry's investment attraction
and marketing activities across its three main business units
— mining and minerals; oil and gas; and electricity and
alternative energy.
- Leads the annual planning and delivery process for key trade
shows, conferences and investment missions.
- Works closely with all parts of the ministry to identify and
track priority investment prospects.
Mineral Policy and Initiatives:
- Develops, co-ordinates and monitors the implementation of strategies,
policies and plans related to province-wide development of the
mining sector.
- Conducts financial and economic assessments of government and
industry initiatives to guide critical government policy decisions;
collects and analyses mining industry expenditure and production
data to monitor industry trends; and advises government on revenue,
taxation, land use and regulatory initiatives.
Mines Operation:
- Promotes, encourages, permits or authorizes technically sound
as well as environmentally and socially sustainable mines.
- Audits and inspects exploration sites and operating and closed
mines to enforce compliance as necessary.
- Ensures that mines are reclaimed in compliance with the Mines
Act and in accordance with the standards set out in the "Health,
Safety and Reclamation Code for Mines in British Columbia".
- Ensures through reclamation security bonding that the liability
to the province is managed to minimize the risk of default to
government.
- Ensures that mining operations are prepared to effectively deal
with all emergency situations.
- Promotes best management practices for health, safety, environmental
protection and reclamation.
| Key Programs |
Outputs |
| Mining Exploration Tax Credit |
• February 2003 Provincial Budget extended the tax credit by three years to 2006.
|
| BC Mining Flow Through Share Tax Credit |
• Successfully worked with the mining industry to encourage the federal government to extend the federal flow-through share tax program.
|
| Promote Opportunities for Investment in Minerals Sector |
• Managed an economic measures agreement with area First Nations to facilitate development of an east-west resource road between the Omineca region and the Port of Stewart.
|
| Update internal policy and procedures manuals to bring them into line with streamlining and results-based revisions made to the Health Safety and Reclamation Code for Mines in British Columbia in March 2003 |
• Revisions to policy and procedures manuals completed, resulting in a reduction of 468 regulatory requirements.
• Web accessible and digitally searchable version developed.
|
| Geoscience Surveys |
• Continued to produce numerous valuable geoscience publications.
• Participated in the federal Targeted Geoscience Initiative program.
• Participated in the Rocks to Riches program which carried out eight field and/or office-based, digital technology related geoscience projects.
• Extensive claim staking resulted from geoscience programs carried out in the Toodoggone and in the Quesnel Lake areas of central and northern BC.
|
| MapPlace and Geoscience Databases |
• MapPlace received over 2 million hits on the ministry website.
• New data layers added to MapPlace, including updated coal, mineral and aggregate data and geological maps of Hat Creek and Bowser Basin.
• MapPlace has become one of the most valuable geoscience tools in attracting new investment in mineral exploration and development in BC.
|
| Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) |
• The Mining and Minerals Division engaged in several public-private partnerships in the area of geoscience in 2003/04. These partnerships were primarily mapping projects and/or mineral deposit studies.
• Raised over $250,000 in financial and in-kind support from industry for geoscience field projects.
• Produced new geological and geophysical map products leading to new mineral claim staking in BC.
• Investment opportunities and exploration potential in BC have been widely promoted through one-on-one networking with partners and industry clients resulting from P3 activities. |
Electricity and Alternative Energy Division
The Electricity and Alternative Energy Division is responsible
for the development of policies, legislation, regulations and programs
to support low cost, reliable electricity supply; private sector
investment; alternative energy resource development and use; and
increasing energy efficiency. A major focus of the Division's current
workplan is the implementation of the electricity related aspects
of the Energy Plan. The Division's responsibilities fall into two
Branches:
Alternative Energy Policy:
- Provides leadership in the formulation, development and implementation
of strategic alternative energy policies, programs, legislation
and regulations to stimulate research.
- Responsible for the development of initiatives directed towards
energy efficiency and conservation.
Electricity Policy:
- Develops, implements and monitors policies and initiatives that
support the objective of ensuring a secure and reliable electricity
supply.
- Responsible for the provincial government's role in Columbia
River Treaty matters, and represents the provincial interest on
a variety of inter-jurisdictional electricity issues.
| Key Programs |
Outputs |
| Policies and initiatives to maintain low electricity rates and public ownership of BC Hydro's core assets |
• Implemented BC Hydro Public Power Legacy and Heritage Contract Act and related Orders to establish a Heritage Contract and protect public ownership of BC Hydro core assets. Amended the Utilities Commission Act to ensure effective regulation of BC Hydro and BCTC by the BCUC.
|
| Policies and initiatives to ensure secure, reliable electricity supply |
• Created a new government owned transmission corporation (BCTC) to ensure access to the transmission system. Worked with IPPs to facilitate the development of new electricity supply in the province and participated on BC Hydro's steering committee for the development of its Integrated Electricity Plan. |
| Columbia River Treaty and Downstream Benefits (DSB) Entitlement |
• Ongoing management and maintenance of CRT related issues, the DSB Entitlement (which contributed $230 million in government revenues in 2003/04) and support for the Columbia River Treaty Permanent Engineering Board. |
| Administration of the Utilities Commission Act, Hydro and Power Authority Act and water rental rates |
• Ongoing management and maintenance.
|
| Stimulating investor interest in British Columbia's clean and alternative energy and energy efficiency sectors |
• Participated in Environmental Assessment and Land and Water BC reviews of various IPP projects to ensure that electricity values were adequately considered. Worked with IPPs and other government agencies to facilitate progress of their projects.
|
| Alternative energy and biofuels development in BC |
• Developed and began implementation of an Alternative Energy Strategy for the province. Developed Clean Electricity Guidelines to facilitate implementation of the Energy Plan goal to have 50 per cent of new supply from clean electricity sources. |
| Hydrogen and fuel cell development and deployment in BC |
• Participated in the industry committee's development of a hydrogen and fuel cell strategy for the province, for the Premier's Technology Council. Further to the $150,000 funding provided in late 2002/03, the Ministry continued to participate in the development of a project to demonstrate fuel cell technology in a passenger automobile in BC.
|
| Energy Efficiency in buildings and equipment |
• Established a Ministers Advisory Committee on energy efficiency for buildings. Began a comprehensive review of Energy Efficiency Act and regulations.
|
Strategic Shifts and Significant Changes in Policy Direction
The Oil and Gas Development Strategy for the Heartlands (OGDS)
The Oil and Gas Development Strategy for the Heartlands (OGDS)
is a comprehensive program to address road infrastructure, targeted
royalties, regulatory reduction and British Columbia service
sector opportunities. The OGDS was initially announced in June 2003
and additional initiatives were introduced in November 2003.
Coalbed Gas
The Government enacted the Coalbed Gas Act in April 2003.
The Act confirms that coalbed gas is natural gas owned by the holder
of natural gas rights.
Energy Plan
The ministry continues to implement the November 2002, Energy
for Our Future: A Plan for BC. The plan clarifies the Government's
intentions for energy supply and the role for private sector investment.
Specifically, the plan sets out the policy actions to retain BC Hydro
in public ownership and to maintain secure, safe, low-cost energy
for the future. The plan also contains measures to stimulate economic
growth by supporting increased investment across a range of energy
sources. It also includes enhanced conservation measures and targets
for the development of clean energy sources.
Titles
The Mineral Titles Online (MTO) project will bring about the most
significant change to mineral title acquisition in BC in more than
a century. MTO will change the method of mineral title acquisition
from an on-the-ground staking process to an online map selection
system. Using modern mapping software, this internet-based system
will provide for secure title on an accurate digital map base that
is integrated with other resource data. The system, which includes
electronic payment and online administration of titles, will reduce
costs for miners and the province. Amendments to the Mineral
Tenure Act enabling the establishment of the system were approved
by the legislature in April 2004. The project is targeted for implementation
in 2005.
The Petroleum Titles Online Project is a joint initiative being
developed by the Ministry of Energy and Mines and the Ministry
of Sustainable Resource Management to facilitate petroleum tenure-related
transactions through the internet. It is intended to compliment
the Mineral Tenure Online Project, currently under development,
and to eventually link to the Integrated Registry Project. The project
will primarily be focused on Ministry of Energy and Mines' clients
to ensure that they have timely access to accurate petroleum tenure
data and related tenure administration processes. Target implementation
date is October 2004.
Mining
On January 26, 2004 a Minister of State for Mining with a mandate
to revitalize the mining sector was appointed. British Columbia
is the only Canadian jurisdiction to place such a focus on mining.
The Minister of State's primary mandate is to work with mining stakeholders,
to promote, market and communicate environmental and sustainability
practices while continuing to identify opportunities to strengthen
the provincial geoscience capability. The Minister of State will
also lead the design of a framework to increase clarity for access
to Crown land for mining exploration and development and the drafting
of a detailed action plan for mining development and skills training.
Performance Based Regulations for Mining
Mining policy and procedures manuals are updated and Notice of
Work (permit application) forms consolidated to bring them into
step with streamlining and results-based revisions made to the "Health,
Safety and Reclamation Code for Mines in British Columbia" in
March 2003. This update has resulted in a reduction of 468
regulatory requirements. These changes will further enhance
the mining industry's ability to do business, benefiting all British
Columbians.
Public-Private Partnerships
Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) continued to be an important
program component for the Ministry of Energy and Mines. The Ministry
is in the final stages of completing a P3 worth $40 million to design,
finance and deliver upgrades to the Sierra Yoyo Desan Resource Road.
This P3 will improve safety, allow for year-round access, and generate
an increase in oil and gas exploration and development activities
in the northeast that will create vast opportunities for British
Columbians. In addition, the Ministry participated in eight P3s,
most of which were multi-partner programs supporting additional
work funded primarily by the Targeted Geoscience Initiative
with the federal government, or which received funding from the
BC and Yukon Chamber of Mines Rocks to Riches Program. These
partnerships contributed substantially to the Ministry's ability
to generate new geoscience maps, reports and information related
to mineral resource development in the province.
Update on New Era Commitments
| New Era Promises |
| Government Priority |
Comments |
| Oppose the Sumas 2 power project and phase out Burrard Thermal. |
The Province, led by the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, was an intervener in the review of the Sumas Energy 2 power line project before the National Energy Board. On March 4, 2004 the NEB announced that it was denying SE2's application for an international power line.
An MLA Task Force reviewed the role of the Burrard Thermal generation station. BC Hydro is also considering the phase out of Burrard Thermal as a part of its Integrated Electricity Plan, which was submitted to the BCUC on March 31, 2004. |
| Protect BC Hydro and all its core assets, including dams, reservoirs and power lines under public ownership. |
The BC Hydro Public Power Legacy and Heritage Contract Act was implemented. This Act stipulates that BC Hydro must not sell or otherwise dispose of protected assets. |
| Restore an independent BC Utilities Commission to regulate BC Hydro's electricity rates. |
Additional Commissioners and changes to the Utilities Commission Act, which were brought into force in May, 2003, create a strengthened and more effective BCUC for oversight of BC Hydro. The rate freeze was eliminated, and in December 2003 BC Hydro filed its first revenue requirement application in a decade. The BCUC also reviewed BC Hydro's proposed Vancouver Island Generation Project, and BC Hydro has submitted to the BCUC its Integrated Electricity Plan, as required by the amended Utilities Commission Act. |
| Encourage mineral exploration. |
In order to have a healthy, sustainable mining industry in British Columbia, it is essential to have a robust mineral exploration sector. The mining industry estimates that annual exploration expenditures of at least $125 million are required to sustain the industry's production. Ministry initiatives to enhance mineral exploration in British Columbia include:
• reducing the regulatory requirements for sub-bulk sample level exploration projects;
• refocusing geoscience programs; and
• ensuring a competitive tax and regulatory regime.
During 2003 an estimated $55 million was spent by industry in exploration and this is expected to increase substantially during 2004.
|
| Consider the Northern Development Commissioner's report on offshore oil and gas. |
The Northern Development Commissioner's report was submitted to Government on July 5, 2001 and although the recommendations concerning public consultation were not adopted, the Northern Caucus consulted with northern residents and community leaders regarding a range of issues including the Commissioner's report on offshore oil and gas.
In March 2001 the University of Northern British Columbia was provided with a $2 million grant to respond to recommendations made in the Scientific Review Panel and Offshore Oil and Gas Task Force Reports. In October 2002 the Province approved up to $8 million, to the end of fiscal 2004, for the establishment of a dedicated offshore oil and gas team to ensure that offshore oil and gas resources are developed in a scientifically and environmentally responsible manner. This also includes working with First Nations, communities, industry and other governments to clarify the risks and benefits associated with offshore oil and gas. The team was established on January 10, 2003. |
| Promote clean and renewable alternative energy sources like wind, thermal, solar, tidal, biomass and fuel cell technologies. |
As part of the Energy Plan, there is a goal of having 50 per cent of the new supply purchased by electricity distributors from clean sources. This will provide Independent Power Producers with opportunities to develop clean energy sources such as hydro, cogeneration, wind, solar and fuel cell power. The Ministry works closely with independent power producers to facilitate the development of these energy sources.
The Ministry has also completed the first phase of an Alternative Energy and Energy Efficiency Strategy.
The Ministry participated in the industry committee's development of a hydrogen and fuel cell strategy for the province, for the Premier's Technology Council. Further to the $150,000 funding provided in 2002/03, the Ministry continued to participate in the development of a project to demonstrate fuel cell technology in a passenger automobile in BC.
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