Do Smart Meters Remain A Billion Dollar Hole In 2010 Budget?
Program Due for Completion in 2012 Absent from Provincial Budget:
Victoria, BC – The BC Government’s often-announced, nary-enacted Smart Meter Program is absent from the 2010/11 Budget and Fiscal Plan, as noted by the Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union, Local 378 (COPE 378), which represents workers at BC Hydro and throughout the BC energy sector.
The Provincial Government first announced their intention to proceed with the rapid billion-dollar installation of the meters in all residential customers’ homes in the 2009 Budget.
In 2008, Smart Metering was initially pegged at $900 million, despite the lack of a business plan from BC Hydro or the government.
By the 2009 announcement, the government had broken the spending into three different programs, all detailed in the core budget document.
However, the expense is not listed in the 2010/11 Budget and Fiscal Plan at all. It is supposed to be included in the list of expenditures over $50 million. It is only referred to in the back of the BC Hydro Service Plan, with no details on a business plan, costs, or implementation dates.
“If the government expects BC Hydro to have these meters installed in every residential customer’s home by the end of 2012, you would expect them to include it as a fully costed item in their budget,” said COPE 378 Vice President Gwenne Farrell. “Instead there is no mention in the budget, a tiny note in the service plan, and no business plan whatsoever; it’s a boondoggle waiting to happen,” added Farrell.
“True-to-form, this government makes an announcement, trumpets it again and again, assigns a lofty and inaccurate price tag, yet forgets to do a business plan or make an economic argument, and then leaves the idea on the shelf to gather dust after spending who-knows-what money,” said Farrell.
COPE 378 pointed out in 2009 that despite the massive cost of this program, there is no power conservation plan, no conservation estimates, and these costs will be punitively passed on to BC ratepayers. Furthermore, COPE 378 said, the program would result in the loss of approximately 300 jobs while failing to address the need for a real conservation plan for BC.
“I would like to think that the government simply realized that this was a bad use of taxpayer money and has instead opted to address conservation head-on,” said Farrell. “However, I am more inclined to think that the government has realized what an unattainable boondoggle this is, and is trying to hide the costs,” concluded Farrell.
- 30 -
For more information contact Mike Bruce, 604.812.9049
