Car dealers in BC are energized by the approval of Site C dam
Posted December 16, 2014 11:50 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The province’s approval of the Site C dam today has car dealers in BC charged up. Blair Qualey with the New Car Dealers Association of BC says the mega project will help meet the power demand for the increasing number of electric vehicles expected in the future.
He says once the dam is in operation there will be enough power for all of them. “We could have upwards to a million electric vehicles on our roads at the time, a little later after the dam is built. You know, that’s going to put a fairly major demand on the electric grid and generation capabilities, the fact that the government is looking that far ahead and planning now is great news and great vision.”
Since juicing up won’t be a problem for EV drivers, he says people may feel more comfortable in purchasing an electric car. “Having a strong electrical grid and the ability to plug your car in, if you’re on your way home, stop at the grocery store somewhere and you want to plug in before you go in and pick up the kids from hockey or something like that, you know making sure infrastructure is in place is very important.”
He’s encouraging both the province and municipalities to continue putting up charging stations for future cars. While the project is underway, he adds the industry will see a boost in sales on all sorts of vehicles from construction companies.
Business community also welcomes Site C dam
Greg D’Avignon with the Business Council of BC says there are short term benefits for building the dam. “Certainly, in the work that’s already been done but the work that will be done as the project starts to unfold and get built creates direct construction jobs in the province which will lift the economy.”
He says it will bring stable pricing in energy resources in the long term as well as boost business. “It also creates opportunity around the electrical generation that it creates from a clean energy source that will fuel business in the north and will also create opportunities for British Columbians to fuel businesses going forward.”
He adds the energy produced from the project will help keep our province competitive in the long run.
