Kimberley residents will soon have more information on the Sun Mine Project as City Council voted Monday to release as much information as is legally possible.
Coun. Darryl Oakley made the motion, saying that he understands under the Community Charter that some information cannot be released.
“I just want to release what can be released. I get asked so often about the Sun Mine project. It has been going on for some time.”
“I suspect within two or three weeks we will be able to release the whole thing,” said Mayor Ron McRae, just prior to Council voting unanimously to support Oakley’s motion.
Kimberley voters approved the borrowing of up to $2 million for the Sun Mine in a referendum held at the time of the last election in 2011.
The project will see Kimberley constructing the first on-grid large solar plant in BC and the largest solar power plant in Western Canada. The City of Kimberley will construct a 1.05 Mega Watt Peak (MWp) grid connected solar photovoltaic power plant on a brownfield in Kimberley, owned by Teck Metals – the former industrial lands for the Sullivan Mine. The solar energy produced will be fed into a nearby transmission line and sold back into BC Hydro’s power grid. This 1.05 MWp project is intended to provide a platform that can be expanded to up to 200 MWp in the future.
According to documents on the City’s website, project estimates indicate that the revenue generated from selling the power to BC Hydro will cover the yearly borrowing and operating costs and result in a profit for Kimberley. Therefore, there will be no cost to the taxpayers of Kimberley.