An environmental review of a $404-million power line, expected to bring benefits to Prince George, is back on track after a delay requested by B.C. Hydro.
It kicks the 180-day review period back into gear, which now must be complete by Wednesday.
"There are benefits all along the northern corridor to Smithers and Prince George," said Prince George-based Wolftek owner Bruce Sutherland, the former chairman of the Northern Development Initiative Trust and the College of New Caledonia.
The power project, which is expected to open up northwest B.C. to power-generating and mining projects, would provide spinoff work for machine and equipment manufacturing businesses like Wolftek.
"It's been held up too long," said Sutherland.
Sutherland has been frustrated with a so-called harmonized provincial and federal environmental assessment. Harmonizing the two processes means sticking to time lines, he said.
A package containing the environmental assessment, recommendations and supporting documents will be in the hands of the environment minister by Thursday, said Kathy Eichenberger, who is overseeing the project for the B.C. Environmental Assessment Authority.
The minister, Murray Coell, has 45 days to hand down a decision after he receives the package.
The Crown agency requested the delay before Christmas to give the federal government more time to complete its review work. There had been three separate delays.
Without the delays, the review should have been complete in October.
The federal government has already committed $130 million to the 344-kilometre project. Alberta-based AltaGas Income Trust is also providing $180 million towards the power line.
There are several proposed mines along the power line corridor which would benefit from the construction of the power line.
NovaGold had originally been planning to contribute $158 million to the construction of the power line. However, the Galore Creek project was put on hold in late 2007 when construction costs for the gold, copper and silver mine more than doubled to $5 billion. NovaGold has a new pre-feasibility study underway for a revamped mining plan, expected to be complete in 2011.
The Galore Creek project is among 10 mining projects that a 2009 report found would attract more than $15 billion in investment and create 10,700 jobs if the power line was built. The report cautioned that the estimates were based on 10 mines being built, some of which are still in the preliminary stages of development.
