BC's Bear Mountain Adds 102 MW to Canada's Current Installed Wind Energy Capacity

Posted on November 13, 2009 by Warren Brazier

Following up on my earlier blog post, the Bear Mountain Wind Park is now officially open, online and generating electrons to the British Columbia power grid, bringing Canada's total current installed wind energy capacity to 2,956 MW.

The $200 million Bear Mountain project located near Dawson Creek, BC was completed on time and on budget. With a total capacity of 102 MW, the park will produce enough energy to power most of BC's South Peace region. Under the Government of Canada's ecoENERGY for Renewable Power program, the project will receive a one cent per kilowatt-hour incentive over the next ten years, in accordance with the terms of the agreement. The project includes green attributes, which AltaGas can trade or sell to third parties. One of those third party purchaser's is Bullfrog Power.
 
The Canadian Wind Energy Association recently made the following announcements regarding the development of wind energy in Canada:
  • 523 MW of new installed capacity in 2008;
  • 2009 will be a record year for wind energy development in Canada with new installed capacity from wind energy projects totalling 790 MW; and
  • By the end of 2009, Canada will have 3,159 MW of installed capacity with wind developments operating in every province for the first time.
Click here for a map of Canada's current installed wind capacity (as of November, 2009).
 
With 19 wind projects bid into BC Hydro's 2008 Clean Power Call, British Columbians can expect more of their electricity to come from the natural power of the wind.
 
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BC Wind Power, Waneta Dam Hearings, Haida and NaiKun and Biomass EPA's Approved

Posted on August 17, 2009 by Warren Brazier
Wind Turbines Are Spinning in BC (finally!)
 
British Columbia's first wind energy facility opened earlier this month in Dawson Creek. The Bear Mountain Wind Park, which is owned by AltaGas, when completed will consist of 34 turbines and generate enough electricity to power 38,000, homes. The project has an EPA with BC Hydro under the 2006 Power Call and will receive up to $20.5 million from the the Government of Canada's ecoENERGY For Renewables Program. This marks a significant milestone on the Canadian renewable energy landscape. Now each of Canada's 10 Provinces can claim to be generating electrons to their respective electricity grids from the power of the wind. A monumental moment indeed. Those in British Columbia can purchase electricity from the Bear Mountain Wind Park, through Bullfrog Power.
 
BC Hydro's Purchase of 1/3 of Waneta Dam before BC Utilities Commission
 
This week marks the start of the public hearing stage for BC Hydro's proposed purchase of a 1/3 interest in Teck Metals Ltd.'s Waneta Dam in Trail, BC . BC Hydro is seeking an order from the BCUC under s. 44.2(1) of the BC Utilities Commission Act that the proposed for $825 million purchase is in the public interest. In its submission to the BCUC, BC Hydro characterizes the Waneta Dam as a significant hydro electric generating facility that has produced safe, reliable power for Teck for over 50 years. If the purchase completes, BC Hydro believes it would gain access to 167MW of capacity and 890 GWh/year of energy. This is an interesting proposal for BC Hydro.  In BC there are only a handful of privately owned dams, and rarely, if ever, are these dams available for purchase. So, BC Hydro buying an existing asset which can supply base load power to the grid and storage capacity, seems to follow quite well with the Province's energy self-sufficiency objectives. The hearing process which will take place over the course of the fall, will examine, among many other things, the cost to acquire the interest in the dam and aboriginal consultation and/or accommodation. This will be very interesting to follow.  Here is the link to the BCUC's webpage on the BC Hydro Waneta Transaction.
 
NaiKun and the Haida Nation sign Investment MOU
 
Last week, NaiKun Wind Energy and the Haida Nation signed a memorandum of understanding which could give the Haida nation a 30% ownership stake in NaiKun's proposed $2 billion wind power project off the coast of the Queen Charlotte Islands. NaiKun currently has a proposal into BC Hydro as part of the Clean Power Call. Kudos to NaiKun and the Haida Nation who continue to show tremendous leadership on the business relationship between first nations and independent power producers. Here's the Vancouver Sun's story on the deal.
 
EPA's for Four Bioenergy Projects Accepted By BCUC
 
Following up on my earlier blog posts (here and here) on Phase I of BC Hydro's Bioenergy Call for Power, electricity purchase agreements between BC Hydro and the four successful projects have now been accepted by the BCUC. They are: Canfor Pulp Ltd. Partnership's project in Prince George, PG Interior Waste to Energy Ltd.'s project also in Prince George, Domtar Pulp and Paper Products Inc.'s project in Kamloops, and Zellstoff Celgar Ltd. Partnership's project in Castlegar. Together, the four projects will generate a total of 579 GWh/year of electricity, or enough to power more than 52,000 homes. Here is BC Hydro's press release. Biomass energy is certainly a welcome boon to BC's forest industry. Great to see BC Hydro buying more of it. Here is the latest information on the Phase II of the Bioenergy Call.
 
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Welcome to British Columbia, Bullfrog Power!

Posted on March 25, 2009 by Warren Brazier

Today, British Columbia is a whole lot greener thanks to Bullfrog Power announcing that it has entered the BC electricity marketplace to sell power from wind and low-impact water power generators who meet or exceed the federal government's EcoLogo standard for renewable electricity.  Having enjoyed years of success in Ontario and Alberta, Bullfrog Power is now offering residents and businesses of British Columbia a new way to take a stand in support of low-impact renewable electricity and reduce their environmental impact. 

Bullfrog Power was founded in 2005 as a way for consumers to purchase electricity from clean and renewable sources. To date, Bullfrog has over 8,000 residential and 900 business customers in Ontario and Alberta, providing demand for five new wind generation projects in Canada.  Businesses in British Columbia that are already "Bullfrogpowered" include Walmart Canada, TD Bank Financial, BMO Financial Group, The Pembina Institute, The David Suzuki Foundation.

This sounds great, but how does this work? No special wiring is needed. Customer draws power from the BC grid as it always has and Bullfrog Power injects as much green power onto the grid as customer takes off.  The green power comes from an EcoLogo certified low-impact renewable generation facility.  For each megawatt of power generated by such a facility and is injected onto the grid, a corresponding Green Power Certificate is created to represent the positive environmental benefits associated with producing green power. Bullfrog Power then retires the associated Green Power Certificates, issued on your behalf. This entitles you to claim that you are using green electricity and that your environmental footprint has been reduced accordingly.

Deloitte conducts an annual audit to confirm, among other things, that as many Green Power Certificates have been retired on behalf of Bullfrog Power’s customers as Bullfrog Power has sold. The audit also ensures that these Green Power Certificates cannot be resold or double counted. Bullfrog will bill you monthly, in addition to your regular electricity provider, such as BC Hydro. 

Here is a link to some frequently asked questions about Bullfrog Power in British Columbia as provided on its website.

I like this company and I like the idea that the customer is in control of its electricity choices. Congratulations Bullfrog Power and welcome to British Columbia! I have no doubt that you will be welcomed by all those who support low-impact renewable power.

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