Genesee#3 came back online at 03:56 Sunday.
Alberta set a new record in electricity demand during the 6 o’clock hour Sunday night – 10,315MW, topping the previous record of 10,236MW set back on December 14th, 2009. Albertan’s are being asked to run things like washers, dryers and dishwashers during non-peak hours after 7 pm. AESO’s forecasts indicate that over the next 20 years, more than 11,000MW of new generation is needed to replace retiring generation plants that reach the end of their operating lives as well as keep up with anticipated load growth.
In 2003, the Conservative government Redford now leads changed a 50-50 funding deal that applied to power generators and saddled ratepayers with the entire bill for construction of new power lines. In February 2009, the Alberta government eliminated a requirement for public needs assessments, and public hearings, on five major electricity transmission lines by deeming them all “critical infrastructure” for the fast growing province. The price tag for Northern Gateway is $5.5 billion, while the cost of the Keystone XL pipeline is $7 billion. The power lines proposed from Edmonton to Calgary will cost $4 billion, part of a broader $13.5-billion electricity infrastructure build. Keeping pace with demand for electricity is a big challenge for governments. It is a complex and critically important business.
MDA Earthsat has expanded its wind generation forecast product to include the Alberta Electric System Operator. The Web-based system uses ensemble forecast methods to produce hourly forecasts for lead times of up to 10 days.
