BC Hydro to issue Vancouver Island Call for Tenders for dependable capacity of at least 150 megawatts on October 31 VANCOUVER, Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- BC Hydro, the main electricity provider to 1.8 million customers in British Columbia, will invite private sector developers to submit tenders for proposed new generation projects to be located on Vancouver Island through a Call for Tenders to be released October 31. BC Hydro is in the final stages of preparing the Vancouver Island Call for Tenders (VI CFT). The CFT documents are being reviewed by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, which has been retained by BC Hydro to act as an independent reviewer to ensure that this call is conducted in a fair, open and transparent manner. The independent reviewer will provide an initial fairness report to the BC Utilities Commission prior to the issuance of the VI CFT. BC Hydro's target for the VI CFT is to acquire at least 150 megawatts (MW) of new dependable capacity to help meet growing demand on Vancouver Island. This capacity must be in place by 2007 to offset the fact that some of the main undersea cable systems will no longer be able to reliably supply that area from the mainland of the province. Private sector developers interested in participating in the VI CFT will be eligible to submit tenders once they have met a set of mandatory criteria, including the demonstration of financial strength and relevant experience. Projects must employ a proven technology and be capable of reaching commercial operation by May 2007. Long-term electricity purchase agreements will be awarded to the most cost-effective projects. BC Hydro will also welcome tenders from private sector developers who wish to acquire assets associated with the planned 265 MW Vancouver Island Generation Project, with the intention of building, owning and operating that project or an alternative configuration on the same site. Private sector developers interested in more information on the VI CFT should visit http://www.bchydro.com/vicft. Register on-line to receive notification of CFT updates. Visit BC Hydro's web site at http://www.bchydro.com/ Media Contact: Elisha Moreno Media Relations manager Phone: (604) 623-4099 DATASOURCE: BC Hydro CONTACT: Media Contact: Elisha Moreno, Media Relations manager, Phone: 604-623-4099

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