06/08/06, Stephanie Porter, Big wind blowing
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St. John's: The CEO of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro says there’s the potential for a “large wind generation operation” in Labrador — as much as three times as powerful as the proposed lower Churchill development.
“By large, I mean the overall potential may by up to the 10,000 megawatt potential,” Ed Martin says. “It’s a world-class wind resource.”
To put that number in perspective: the upper Churchill generates about 5,400 megawatts of power; the lower Churchill, at Muskrat Falls and Gull Island, is expected to produce 2,800 megawatts. The Holyrood generating station provides 480 megawatts. According to Hydro’s website, peak demand in the province in 2004 was 1,405 megawatts.
In other words, a full-blown Labrador wind farm could potentially meet the province’s energy needs many times over.
But Martin is quick to caution. “That potential may be (there), but generally speaking … the 1,000-2,000 megawatt development is what you’re looking at — for starters.”
According to Martin, the province has asked Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro to research wind generation in Labrador, in preparation for its much talked-about energy plan. (A spokeswoman for the Department of Natural Resources tells The Independent the energy plan will be released before the end of 2006.)
“Even though we know there’s a fair amount of wind in Newfoundland and Labrador, we have to be a little more scientific than that,” Martin continues. “We’ve gone up there and put up some wind monitoring towers so we can gather some information for Hydro and the province.”
He hasn’t seen any early test results, but he says “we’re fairly confident.”
The key with wind generation, he says, is regularity and dependability of the flow. Wind power is virtually impossible to store, so if the wind drops suddenly or stops, there has to be another source of power to fill the gaps.
“So if you can marry wind with a hydro or river resource, you have something really effective.”
In Labrador, Martin says the priority would be to provide enough power for Labradorians and industrial development in that part of the province.
“Past that, you’re into a resource the size of which you would want to export … like a lower Churchill or any other provincial resource that is there for the benefit of the province.
“Once we have a scientific look at what the actual quality of the resource up there, we’ll be putting it into the energy plan. In that process, some big decisions will be made as to how to handle the provincial resource portion of that kind of resource.”
Martin says he hopes to have collected enough data in the next few months to begin making some policy decisions. But the wind monitoring will continue into the future — and he doesn’t shy away from saying a wind farm could be its own mega-project, a way of harvesting a limitless resource for energy and income.
“My job isn’t to be excited about things,” he says. “I want the facts, the dollars and cents, the value to the province and all those good things. The fact we’re looking at it means we’re excited — but I need the numbers.”
“By large, I mean the overall potential may by up to the 10,000 megawatt potential,” Ed Martin says. “It’s a world-class wind resource.”
To put that number in perspective: the upper Churchill generates about 5,400 megawatts of power; the lower Churchill, at Muskrat Falls and Gull Island, is expected to produce 2,800 megawatts. The Holyrood generating station provides 480 megawatts. According to Hydro’s website, peak demand in the province in 2004 was 1,405 megawatts.
In other words, a full-blown Labrador wind farm could potentially meet the province’s energy needs many times over.
But Martin is quick to caution. “That potential may be (there), but generally speaking … the 1,000-2,000 megawatt development is what you’re looking at — for starters.”
According to Martin, the province has asked Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro to research wind generation in Labrador, in preparation for its much talked-about energy plan. (A spokeswoman for the Department of Natural Resources tells The Independent the energy plan will be released before the end of 2006.)
“Even though we know there’s a fair amount of wind in Newfoundland and Labrador, we have to be a little more scientific than that,” Martin continues. “We’ve gone up there and put up some wind monitoring towers so we can gather some information for Hydro and the province.”
He hasn’t seen any early test results, but he says “we’re fairly confident.”
The key with wind generation, he says, is regularity and dependability of the flow. Wind power is virtually impossible to store, so if the wind drops suddenly or stops, there has to be another source of power to fill the gaps.
“So if you can marry wind with a hydro or river resource, you have something really effective.”
In Labrador, Martin says the priority would be to provide enough power for Labradorians and industrial development in that part of the province.
“Past that, you’re into a resource the size of which you would want to export … like a lower Churchill or any other provincial resource that is there for the benefit of the province.
“Once we have a scientific look at what the actual quality of the resource up there, we’ll be putting it into the energy plan. In that process, some big decisions will be made as to how to handle the provincial resource portion of that kind of resource.”
Martin says he hopes to have collected enough data in the next few months to begin making some policy decisions. But the wind monitoring will continue into the future — and he doesn’t shy away from saying a wind farm could be its own mega-project, a way of harvesting a limitless resource for energy and income.
“My job isn’t to be excited about things,” he says. “I want the facts, the dollars and cents, the value to the province and all those good things. The fact we’re looking at it means we’re excited — but I need the numbers.”
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