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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he’s open to the idea of supporting a new grid that would ship surplus B.C. electricity to Alberta to help that province reduce its reliance on coal.

Premier Christy Clark’s government has launched “exploratory” talks on a jointly funded project, estimated to cost close to $1 billion, with the Alberta and federal governments.

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The objective would be to help BC Hydro improve the economics of the $8.8-billion Site C hydroelectric project, while helping Alberta reduce its dependence on coal and natural gas.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley’s government, meanwhile, has expressed an interest in the notion as long as B.C. shows more support for an oilsands pipeline to carry diluted Alberta bitumen to the West Coast.

Trudeau, in an interview last week, said the federal government would take a close look at a funding proposal from Western Canada.

“I think anything we can work together interprovincially or nationally on (to get) emissions down, you know, emphasizing hydroelectricity, creating opportunities to get off coal, to get off natural gas, where possible, this is good for the country, it’s good for our emissions profile, it’s good for the economy we need to build,” he said.