VICTORIA – Energy Minister Blair Lekstrom has made good on his promise to order the shutdown of Burrard Thermal in Port Moody, BC Hydro's largest fossil fuel electricity generation facility.

Lekstrom has directed the B.C. Utilities Commission that effective immediately, Burrard Thermal will no longer be used in BC Hydro's energy supply plans, and will only fire its natural gas boilers for up to 900 megawatts of emergency power.

One emergency scenario is an ice storm such as one that brought down power lines across much of Quebec in 1998, Lekstrom said.

Lekstrom promised the action in late July after the utilities commission rejected parts of the government's energy plan and advised BC Hydro it should count the capacity of the aging facility in its plans.

"This is about clarifying our position as government," Lekstrom said. "We were very clear going back to 1996, Burrard Thermal was not in the future plans in British Columbia. We think that it has lived its life cycle. We believe that as we move forward into clean, renewable energy opportunities in British Columbia, we're blessed with a diversity of that opportunity. Burrard is not part of that."

B.C.'s Independent Power Producers Association applauded the government's move.

"Reducing our reliance on Burrard will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality in the Lower Mainland and grow B.C.'s economy through the development of new renewable energy sources," said Harvie Campbell, chairman of the association.

Lekstrom said the decision to override the utilities commission on use of Burrard Thermal does not diminish its authority to protect the public interest in electricity rate and expansion decisions. Its mandate from the government is to approve "clean, affordable power" and keep electricity rates in B.C. among the lowest on the continent, he said.

BC Hydro has spent $8.7 billion since 2001 on projects to expand its dams and electricity grid. The Crown-owned utility is also studying the Site C dam project, a third dam on the Peace River that has been under consideration for 30 years.

Premier Gordon Campbell has repeatedly vowed that BC Hydro's dams and other heritage assets will remain publicly owned, and that if Site C is constructed it too will be owned and operated by BC Hydro.