Williams Lake, B.C., mayor relieved as power plant closure averted
Community in central B.C. faced loss of around 30 jobs as plant had cited lack of wood fibre availability
The mayor of Williams Lake, B.C., says he's relieved that the provincial government and province's power provider have stepped in to stop a local power plant from shutting down.
The privately-held Atlantic Power Corporation has operated the Northwest Energy plant in the central B.C. community since 1993. Provincial utility B.C. Hydro purchases the plant's power for the grid through 10-year agreements.
Atlantic Power's plant, which employs around 30 people, generates energy by burning biomass — primarily wood waste, fibre from sawmills, and logging debris.
But last year, the corporations told B.C. Hydro that it would shut down the plant in January 2025 as it was no longer profitable, citing a lack of viable fibre supply amid the forest industry's wider struggles.
The closure of the power plant would have had serious impacts on Williams Lake, according to Mayor Surinderpal Rathor.
On Friday, however, B.C. Hydro announced it had reached a deal with Atlantic Power to save the plant, saying it provided ways to source and manage cost-effective fuel.
"A big relief is one word for me, for council, for the leaders in the community, the workers," Rathor told CBC News. "Big relief."
Before the agreement, the provincial government had told CBC News that forestry mill closures throughout B.C. had cascading negative impacts on facilities like Northwest Energy that relied on wood waste.
"In addition, competition from pellet plants has contributed to a shortage of economical fuel for biomass generators," a spokesperson for the Energy Ministry said in January.
However, the spokesperson said that the government had funded projects that resulted in more low-quality residual fibre being available for pulp mills, pellet plants and power plants.
City's largest taxpayer
A spokesperson for the City of Williams Lake shared a factsheet from Atlantic Power that indicated the plant was the largest single taxpayer in the city, paying over $1.7 million annually.
It generates around 66 megawatts of power, which Atlantic Power says is enough to power 52,000 homes.
Atlantic Power's current 10-year agreement with B.C. Hydro to operate the plant will run until 2029.
B.C. Hydro says the facility's continued operation would also benefit the Tŝideldel First Nation and Williams Lake First Nation, and it advances the government's commitment to maintaining more renewable energy and reducing carbon emissions.
"[Workers] are very happy. They can plan their life now ... they know they will be going back to work tomorrow," Rathor said. "There's no uncertainty for them."
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