Manitoba Hydro announced late last week that it has inked two major
power sales with Wisconsin Public Service (WPS), a subsidiary of
Integrys Energy Group (NYSE: TEG).
The first sale, running in the 2016-2021 period, is for 108 MW of
firm power. The second sale — which will use electricity produced by the
proposed new Conawapa Generating Station on the Nelson River — is for
308 MW of firm power for up to 10 years. The 308-MW sale is scheduled to
start in 2027. A previously announced 100-MW sale to WPS is scheduled
to run from 2021 to 2026, bridging the gap between these two new deals.
The 308-MW sale also requires the new 500,000-volt Manitoba-Minnesota
Transmission Line for it to be fulfilled, with that line currently in
the planning stages. "This is an historic deal for our province and for Manitoba Hydro
that will create thousands of good jobs and power our economic growth
for decades," said Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger. "Our plan to build
for the future now will ensure we can meet strong demand in our
traditional and emerging export markets, helping to keep electricity
rates for Manitoba families and businesses among the lowest on the
continent."
"If approved by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, the
agreements we signed with Manitoba Hydro are going to help WPS continue
to offer our customers long-term access to an affordable, reliable
supply of carbon-neutral electrical energy at stable prices," said Chuck
Cloninger, President of WPS. "We have had a long and successful history
with Manitoba Hydro, and these latest agreements build on that
relationship."
Scott Thomson, President and CEO of Manitoba Hydro, said the deals
show the value of developing hydroelectric facilities in Manitoba ahead
of when they are required to meet domestic load if export sales can help
minimize the cost to ratepayers.
"Export opportunities are fundamental to our preferred development
plan,” Thomson said. “The agreement we are announcing today validates
our plan, and means all Manitobans will continue to benefit from exports
through enhanced reliability and lower rates.”
The first 108-MW sale will take advantage of existing generation and
transmission resources initially, then use some of the capacity from the
proposed Keeyask Generating Station hydroelectric when that comes
online in 2019, said Thomson. The 308-MW sale will also use
approximately 30% of the energy produced by Conawapa. The total value of
Manitoba Hydro's recently signed export contracts now totals over
C$9bn.
"Between these new and existing sales to WPS, and
previously-announced energy sales to SaskPower, Minnesota Power,
and Xcel Energy — plus ongoing growth in Manitoba energy consumption and
load - the proposed Keeyask Generating Station is already 'sold out'
and significant capacity utilization of Conawapa is already starting,"
said Thomson.
The 695-MW Keeyask Generating Station is being developed in
partnership with four local first nations. Keeyask would be located 35
kilometers upstream of the existing Kettle Generating station, where
Gull Lake flows into Stephens Lake. The utility has said that Keeyask
could go into construction this year and be completed in 2019.
The Conawapa generation site is currently being studied for possible
hydroelectric development and is well behind Keeyask in the development
process. It is located in northern Manitoba in the Fox Lake Resource
Management Areaa, approximately 30 kilometers downstream of the existing Limestone Generating Station. With 1,485 MW of capacity, the Conawapa station would produce about 7,000 gigawatt hours (GWh).
The Manitoba–Minnesota Transmission Project includes construction of a
500-kV (AC) transmission line in southeastern Manitoba. The proposed
route will originate at the Dorsey Converter Station (located near Rosser, northwest of Winnipeg), and connect to the Great Northern Transmission Line. The Great Northern Transmission Line is to be constructed by Minnesota Power. It will terminate at the Blackberry Station located northwest of Duluth, Minn.
Manitoba Hydro is a Crown Corporation and the Canadian
province's major energy utility. It operates 15 hydroelectric facilities
and two thermal facilities and has a total generating capacity of 5,685
MW.
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2014/03/manitoba-hydro-does-wisconsin-power-sales-to-help-hydro-projects
No comments:
Post a Comment