Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Notes on this site
Updates to this site will be made from time to time. The news feed site will help alert us to pertinent breaking news stories. Please click on the regional news feed topics to see the news for the various regions within our subject area. Any ideas for additions or changes will be happily received and made if at all possible. Please post your ideas or communicate them to us. Thank you.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Aside from the obvious - how will this help First Nation communities?
I realize that I am traveling on untrammeled ground as an Alaskan author of this posting. Please to those more knowledgeable on BC utility law - feel free to correct any factual errors.
Our Northern First Nation communities in non-grid connected communities in both Northern BC and Southeast Alaska pay an extraordinary cost for energy. In Alaska, the first 500 kilowatt-hours of energy is equalized, in BC there is a much higher level of equalization for diesel dependent communities.
Nonetheless, our diesel dependent communities of Angoon, Hoonah, Iskut, Kake, and Klukwan pay a huge premium and a high economic cost for not being interconnected to the "grid". In BC if a community is interconnected, they pay an equalized rate for residential, business and commercial electric rates respectively. In Alaska, it's the first 500 kilowatt-hours - that's it! It won't change immediately or significantly with a community's grid interconnection in Alaska, but it will make a big difference and should lead the way to rethinking how electric rates are established there.
Consequenly by not being interconnected in BC, those rural communities are on their own in terms of commercial energy rates. And like Alaska's First Nation communities, those communities suffer a tremendous cost in terms of a local economy. Interconnections are good for business and sustainable living!
Our Northern First Nation communities in non-grid connected communities in both Northern BC and Southeast Alaska pay an extraordinary cost for energy. In Alaska, the first 500 kilowatt-hours of energy is equalized, in BC there is a much higher level of equalization for diesel dependent communities.
Nonetheless, our diesel dependent communities of Angoon, Hoonah, Iskut, Kake, and Klukwan pay a huge premium and a high economic cost for not being interconnected to the "grid". In BC if a community is interconnected, they pay an equalized rate for residential, business and commercial electric rates respectively. In Alaska, it's the first 500 kilowatt-hours - that's it! It won't change immediately or significantly with a community's grid interconnection in Alaska, but it will make a big difference and should lead the way to rethinking how electric rates are established there.
Consequenly by not being interconnected in BC, those rural communities are on their own in terms of commercial energy rates. And like Alaska's First Nation communities, those communities suffer a tremendous cost in terms of a local economy. Interconnections are good for business and sustainable living!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
OK, but what benefit is an Alaska-Canadian link for BC and Canada?
Canada and British Columbia have taken the giant steps necessary for a potential interconnection to Alaska. Canada and BC benefit in a number of ways.
First, an interconnection to Alaska brings a measure of insurance to BC rate-payers whom presumably are making this investment. BC Hydro had a power-line project built years ago, but after it was completed the mine which it was to serve closed due to the volatility of mineral prices. The province and rate-ratepayers were stuck with a cost that yielded no benefit. Having an interconnection to Alaska ensures there will be a payback on the investment regardless of the status of loads in Northwest BC.
Second, interconnection to other generation sources such as Wrangell and Petersburg's Tyee Lake Hydro lends stability to an otherwise radial power-line extension. Electrical energy behaves better when it is connected to other generating sources. So, such an interconnection benefits the proposed Northwest Transmission Line (NTL)
Such an interconnection makes power projects and commercial development in Northwest BC more sustainable. Having another sources of energy in the region adds to the reliability of commercial enterprise in the Northwest BC region of Canada.
First, an interconnection to Alaska brings a measure of insurance to BC rate-payers whom presumably are making this investment. BC Hydro had a power-line project built years ago, but after it was completed the mine which it was to serve closed due to the volatility of mineral prices. The province and rate-ratepayers were stuck with a cost that yielded no benefit. Having an interconnection to Alaska ensures there will be a payback on the investment regardless of the status of loads in Northwest BC.
Second, interconnection to other generation sources such as Wrangell and Petersburg's Tyee Lake Hydro lends stability to an otherwise radial power-line extension. Electrical energy behaves better when it is connected to other generating sources. So, such an interconnection benefits the proposed Northwest Transmission Line (NTL)
Such an interconnection makes power projects and commercial development in Northwest BC more sustainable. Having another sources of energy in the region adds to the reliability of commercial enterprise in the Northwest BC region of Canada.
How would a link between these two regions benefit Alaska?
There are quite a number of benefits a link between Alaska and British Columbia provides Southeast. First, because British Columbia abides by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rules, it's energy transmission entity BC Transmission Corporation charges the same wheeling (transmission) rate from Prince Rupert to Vancouver as it charges from Vancouver to the border near Blaine, Washington. This means that if a Washington utility wanted to sell power to someone in Alaska the transmission rate would be a minor component of the cost.
What the above means to a utility in Alaska is that it could purchase power from a U.S. power producer or utility at a very low cost for use in Alaska. An Alaska power producer might sell it's renewable power at a much higher cost to some lower forty-eight entity at the same time. So Alaskans may benefit from the interconnection in seeing a reduction in their costs because lower forty-eight utilities wish to purchase renewable energy - even at a higher cost.
What the above means to a utility in Alaska is that it could purchase power from a U.S. power producer or utility at a very low cost for use in Alaska. An Alaska power producer might sell it's renewable power at a much higher cost to some lower forty-eight entity at the same time. So Alaskans may benefit from the interconnection in seeing a reduction in their costs because lower forty-eight utilities wish to purchase renewable energy - even at a higher cost.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Northwest BC Transmission Line/Southeast Alaska Transmission Line - a symbiotic relationship
"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings." from The Walrus and the Carpenter by Lewis Carroll
This came to mind when I started this blog, it's a quote which seemed appropriate to this first entry in the North Coast Mountain Energy blog - the basis for this blog is that there needs to be some understanding of how this region of Northwest British Columbia, Southern Yukon and Southeast Alaska is tied culturally, geographically and historically - that a closer economic relationship between these two countries and numerous First Nations is positive, necessary and inevitable given the renewable energy resources which envelop this region of North America.
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