Electrical intertie announcement indicates Saskatchewan will be building large reactors, and powering MB and SK
The implications for Saskatchewan, Estevan and even Weyburn are massive. I do an analysis at the tail end of the piece.
Also:
Jim Warren: Canada’s Liberals—dumber than Democrats on climate policy
Sorry jim but:
If you get a group of progressives in a room, they will argue about messaging. Conversely, a group of conservatives will argue about policy. “ climate, hashing” is about hiding or changing the message and not at all about changing policy views.
Why does Manitoba need help with electricity? Does that province not have large hydro electric dams? Oh, that’s right, the management of Manitoba Hydro are major idiots who are paid lots of money.
When I attended the University of Manitoba (1971-1975), I thought MB was so much better than AB or SK . But I discovered that was just a load of propaganda and despite being blessed with great soil, and great natural resources, continuous NDP governments have destroyed the province. Just my humble opinion of course!
The trope has been Manitoba had infinite hydro resources. Well, they’ve run out. In the last year they’ve dramatically scaled back exports to the US. Several years ago they told Saskatchewan they would be scaling back and eventually eliminating exports to Saskatchewan. They will soon be in a deficit, which is why, horror of horrors, they are now working on building natural gas-fired power stations after shutting down the coal-fired one (as coal) in Brandon.
And since Saskatchewan is clearly on a path to build large reactors, but won’t need that much power at first, clearly this intertie will be meant to send a good chunk of that as money-making exports to Manitoba.
Let me guess … they’re running out of hydro because … global warming? Isn’t that the narrative? About everything?
“Let me guess … they’re running out of hydro because … global warming? Isn’t that the narrative? About everything?”
As always, yes. The time to start planning and building new hydroelectric projects is *before* you need them. They had plenty of prior warnings that they were running out of capacity, but they played politics with it and this is the result.
You can’t do much about drought lowering water levels, but more capacity (more reservoirs) mitigates that somewhat. Also you would hopefully have some available, reliable backup like a natural gas plant that can be brought on line when necessary (and *not*wind or solar….I specified ‘reliable’ backup…).
Nuclear is the next best option for baseline energy generation. Manitoba could also have gone that route, but it sounds like their politicians are just as flaky as they are out here in BC; our NDP and their lackeys fought against our last hydro-electric power project relentlessly for years, first by denying that we needed the extra power.
Cost per unit?
Would natural gas be cheaper?
Or coal.
But Net Zero is driving the bus. So PAY your FARE share!
The phrases “energy superpower” and “export powerhouse” would imply that they are wanting to sell to the United States, correct? The article seems to dance around that.
Only reactionaries favour reactors!