Sumas 2 was a proposal for an additional cogeneration electric power plant in the town of Sumas, Washington near the Canadian border. The excess heat from this generator was to be used by a wood products processing company. The original proposal came in 1999, and was revised twice in 2000 and 2001. It was approved in 2004 by the governor of Washington state. A power transmission line was to be constructed to a sub-station in Abbotsford, British Columbia but the Canadian National Energy Board[1] in 2004 and the Supreme Court of Canada in 2006 denied permission to construct the transmission line. Sumas Energy 2.inc, the company behind the proposal, requested that the Washington's Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council terminate their Site Certification Agreement. This occurred in April 2006.
There is already a cogeneration plant in Sumas. This proposal would have added a second plant. This proposal was considered controversial because it burns natural gas to generate power and the resulting pollutants would have drifted up the valley, adding to pollution already generated by the populous Lower Mainland of British Columbia, which includes Vancouver.
The National Energy Board received approximately 25,000 letters regarding the project, mostly in opposition[2].
Fiksdal, Allen (2003-01-01). "Sumas Energy 2 Generation Facility". http://www.efsec.wa.gov/sumas2.shtml. Retrieved 2007-09-14.