The Oil Drum: Australia/New Zealand

Arctic Gas projects put on ice

New cost estimates that pushed up the price of the Mackenzie gas pipeline to $16.2- billion make Canada's Arctic natural gas among the most expensive on the continent, top explorers in the area said yesterday.

Executives at Devon Canada Corp. and Apache Canada Ltd. said they're putting exploration plans on ice until the project becomes a reality.

"When I see the welders show up and start welding pipe, that's when exploration will ramp up again," said Chris Seasons, president of Devon Canada, a subsidiary of Oklahoma City-based Devon Energy Corp., which spent more than $300-million looking for natural gas in the North this decade. "Certainly the delay to 2014, assuming the project goes ahead, is not helpful, and while we haven't seen any tolls on the mainline, just looking at the costs, it's going to make it amongst the most expensive gas in North America," he said.

Massive Quebec hydro project faces native opposition

Quebec Premier Jean Charest announced the start of construction Thursday for the province's biggest hydroelectric project in a decade, the $5-billion Eastmain -1-A in northern Quebec.

But what would have been a ground-breaking ceremony were it held up north in James Bay turned into a news conference in Montreal after rumours that Cree opponents to the plan were going to protest....

....Mr. Charest said hydroelectricity is an economic development tool for Quebec that will benefit all of its citizens, including the Cree.

Construction of the dams will be completed between 2009 and 2012 and will create thousands of direct and indirect jobs.

Chief Matthew Mukash of the Grand Council of the Crees, lent his support to the project but admitted he did so with some sadness.

“I know that a lot of Cree people are concerned today and it's probably a very sad day for a lot of people. It's a sad day for me,” he said.

Oilsands growth now beyond regulator's ability to assess impacts

Oilsands development, they say, has become a speeding car with a gas pedal and no brakes....

...."It just doesn't work to have Alberta Energy pouring on the gas and not having another agency empowered to put on the brakes if necessary," he said.

Stelmach's signals have been mixed. He's promised to review Alberta's energy royalty regime and to put affordable housing at the top of his agenda.

But at his first news conference after winning the leadership, he pooh-poohed the notion that government should regulate development.

"There's no such thing as touching the brake," he said.

Some facts on oilsands development and its anticipated impact on northern Alberta:

• Oilsands spending, scheduled or proposed - $12.5 billion in 2007; $57 billion over the next five years; $94 billion by 2015.
• Revenue to government 2006-07 - $2.5 billion in royalties; $2 billion in lease sales, greater than last 10 years combined.
• Influx - 3,950 workers required for Suncor's Voyageur project alone; 27,000 people moved into Alberta in the second quarter of 2006; Fort McMurray population doubled to 75,000 in last nine years.
• Cost of living - $40,000 considered minimum "working poor" income in Fort McMurray, says president of Wood Buffalo Housing and Development Corp.
• Vacancy rate in oilsands communities - one per cent in Grande Prairie; less than one per cent in Fort McMurray for third consecutive year.
• Rents - Forecast to jump 20 per cent in 2007 in Grande Prairie; 25 per cent in Fort McMurray.
• "Shadow" population - 11,779 people live in work camps, campgrounds or hotels near Fort McMurray, says 2005 survey.
• Health gap - Fort McMurray needs twice as many doctors as current 44; will need three times as many within five years.
• Services gap - Fort McMurray needs $1.2 billion in infrastructure to accommodate growth, including new water treatment plant, police station, recreation centre and fire hall.

Photovoltaic (PV) potential and insolation web-based maps

https://glfc.cfsnet.nfis.org/mapserver/pv/index_e.php

This link would not autoformat, but it does work if you past it into a browser.

Interactive maps of photovoltaic (PV) potential and insolation for Canada have been developed by the Canadian Forest Service (Great Lakes Forestry Centre) in collaboration with the CANMET Energy Technology Centre (CANMET-Varennes) Photovoltaic systems group. Insolation data was provided by the Data Analysis and Archive Division, Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment Canada. The maps give estimates of the electricity that can be generated by grid-connected photovoltaic arrays without batteries (in kWh/kW) and of the mean daily global insolation (in MJ/m2 and in kWh/m2) for any location in Canada on a 300 arc seconds ~10 km grid. They are presented for each month and for the entire year, for six different PV array orientations: a sun-tracking orientation and five fixed South-facing orientations with latitude, vertical (90°), horizontal (0°) and latitude ± 15° tilts (see figure). Data can be obtained at any grid location by "querying" the maps.

We reported yesterday that the amount of energy generated by wind and natural flow hydro (this category also includes solar PV) had recently fallen. Given the amount we hear about renewables in the UK I and several others were under the impression that renewable generation must be rapidly increasing. It seems however that for primary electricity production at least this just isn't the case.

(Source: DTI Energy Trends 1.1)