BPA, BC Hydro Columbia River system pact taking longer to draft than expected

摘要

Drafting a long-term hydro storage contract between thenBonneville Power Administration and British Columbia Hydro isntaking longer than expected, but the new agreement is still onntrack to become official in coming months, stakeholders heardnlast week during a BPA conference call.nThe 2011 non-treaty storage agreement will renew longstandingnterms between the US and Canadian entities that managenpower and water flow operations on the Columbia River system.nThose operations are critical to BPA’s mission of managing rivernflows to benefit endangered fish species on the river system, and ofnensuring adequate hydroelectric production at federal dams.nThe agreement will continue to secure the US 5 millionnacre-feet of water storage at Mica Dam in Canada, and will addnanother 500,000 acre-feet of water that can be called upon duringnexceptionally dry years when there is not enough water tonsafely carry fish downstream