In support of the Canadian Province of British Columbia's Energy Plan, BC Hydro has released the draft terms and conditions for a Standing Offer Program for clean electricity projects of up to 10MW, Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Minister Richard Neufeld has announced.

'Our Energy Plan commits us to achieving electricity self-sufficiency by 2016,' said Neufeld, 'and this offer is one of the made-in-B.C. solutions we have to ensure a secure, clean supply of energy while helping small power producers participate in clean energy alternatives.'

'We believe there needs to be a streamlined process for smaller-scale projects, and this Standing Offer Program will enable those small electricity-generating projects to sell power to BC Hydro,' added BC Hydro president and CEO Bob Elton. 'We're offering a standard contract with set prices and a straightforward administrative process, and this will give smaller-scale projects the opportunity to contribute to B.C.'s supply of clean electricity.'

A 10MW hydro project typically provides 40 GWh per year of energy, or enough electricity to power 4,000 households.

BC Hydro is seeking feedback on the proposed terms and conditions of the Standing Offer Program from potential developers, First Nations, customers and other stakeholders. The company is inviting written comments on the program's draft documents as well as planning to hold regional meetings during July and early August to get further input on the design of the program.

Projects eligible for the Standing Offer Program must be:

* Proven technologies, i.e., those already available on the market for at least three years.

* 10MW or less.

* Either clean, renewable or cogeneration with an overall efficiency greater than 80%.

The draft documents for the Standing Offer Program along with a list of regional stakeholder sessions can be found at www.bchydro.com/standingoffer, or by clicking on the link below.