The Mayor of Williams Lake says there’s good news and there’s bad news on Atlantic Power following a meeting with the Premier.
Walt Cobb was joined Friday in Vancouver with USW 1-2017 First Vice President Paul French and Chief of the Williams Lake Indian Band Willie Sellars.
“The good news is that they’re willing to sign a 10-year contract with Atlantic Power,” Cobb said.
“But the bad news is that we don’t know what the price is, we don’t know what they’re willing to pay and that’s where the deal could fall apart.”
Cobb said they told were by Horgan that the Province will be negotiating from now until the end of March with Atlantic Power.
“Atlantic Power will have to determine whether it’s a viable operation or not,” he said.
“I hope this is not just a way out, but they indicated that there were seven power generating plants that they were willing to do business with and Atlantic Power was one of them. The devil will be in the details I guess.”
Atlantic Power’s long term-electricity purchase agreement with BC Hydro expires June 30, 2019.
“I think one thing that they’re not considering and they’re not thinking about it when they’re figuring out the price is the environmental impact that it would have on Williams Lake if the plant did go down or the environmental value,” Cobb said.
“They’re not putting a price on that and they have to consider that for sure because somewhere along the line we’re going to have to pay for that environmental impact if the plant closes.”
Other subjects discussed at the meeting with Horgan included the Williams Lake TRU Campus and ‘what we’re not getting out of Kamloops.’
“After I had time to think about it from the time we left yesterday to overnight and what not, I am sending a letter off to the Premier and the staff that met there,” Cobb said.
“I am going to state my concerns and how that I don’t’ think what they’re going to offer is going to work. There again it will be up to Atlantic Power to make that final decision but when I look at it as a business person it’s not viable, it’s not going to work.”
“From what they told us it’s going to be what BC Hydro is going to offer is take it or leave it and to me, that’s not negotiations.”