The old pulp mill site north of Campbell River is being considered for a renewable energy facility.
Earlier this month, council gave the first three readings to a zoning change request. Owner NTE Discovery Park Limited wants it changed to allow several new uses, including a renewable energy and fuel facility.
Councillor Susan Sinnott spoke to some of the concerns that have been raised about generating power at the site, which is next door to the Island Generation natural gas plant.
“One of the things that Campbell River has, is it is an energy centre for the Island,” she said. “As we all know, we’ve got our hydroelectric projects, we’ve got our cogeneration project. There is some advantage in my view to having another energy generation source where we already have a cogeneration source.”
Some residents in the Painter-Barclay area have raised questions about the development, worried that the details are vague, and also expressed concerns about environmental impacts.
Council will give final consideration to the changes at a future meeting.
