Hydro reviewing options to meet demand

One of the key sources of power in the Labrador Straits, Lac Robinson in Quebec Hydro, is having a low water year.

The occurrence of rising and falling water levels is cyclical, said Dawn Dalley, manager of communications for Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro.

"We deal with that all the time, because we run a joint hydro-fossil fuel system here on the Island, so for us from a planning perspective, it's very normal for us on the Island to circulate through a low water year, or two, or three, and then come out of it with good water years where you burn less fuel," she said.

The Straits is mostly powered by hydro energy from Lac Robinson in Quebec.

But Newfoundland and Labraodr Hydro actually treats the generator in L'Anse au Loup as the primary power source, Ms. Dalley said.

"The diesels that we have in L'Anse au Loup are actually considered our primary source of generation; we don't treat the Lac Robinson line, any energy that we get from them, as the primary source," she said.

"As a result of that, we maintain the diesels in L'Anse au Loup to be able to provide the energy at any time."

Hydro Quebec informed Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro of the low supply, and through a base study both companies have worked toward operating that system, she said.

"We ran the diesels fairly steadily, so that we could help them, for example, save water in their reservoirs that we could use then for the rest of the winter. And we do that very same thing here on the Island; we will run Holyrood so that we can maintain water in our reservoirs if we need to," she explained.

"It's common for us on the Island, but it's common anywhere where you have those kinds of systems, because you want to make sure that you maximize as much as you can the water and stretch it out over a longer period of time."

Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro has in the works a submission to present to the Public Utilities Board because the power needs are growing in L'Anse au Loup, she said, adding that by 2010, the company is expecting to need more diesel generation there.

When upgraded, diesel power will run until 2013.

Mid to long-term viable options are being explored for isolated diesel communities through pilot projects on Newfoundland's south coast.

Southern Labrador is considered isolated because it's connected to Quebec, Ms. Dalley said.

There are also two wind projects being tested for the larger grid. For smaller, isolated communities, wind energy is too expensive and complex to connect to the larger grid, Ms. Dalley explained.

"The most economic source of power that we have now for the Straits is really the Hydro Quebec line, because it's hydro power, so it's much less expensive than diesel generation, but diesel generation is much less expensive than any kind of taps into big transmission lines and bigger generation," she said.

"That's why we're doing some research as a pilot project to try and work the kinks out of that; but we think, if it works, it'll be a very viable solution for a lot our diesel communities on the coast...if you were talking about Port Hope Simpson, for example, this is a viable option."