The Oil Drum: Canada | The Round-Up: November 17th 2006

The Round-Up: November 17th 2006

Posted by Stoneleigh on November 17, 2006 - 9:14am in The Oil Drum: Canada
Topic: Site news
Tags: coal, gas, oil sands, peak oil, solar power, uranium, wind [list all tags]

Wind and solar power catch a stiff breeze

Here's another stereotype about oil-rich Alberta you can toss out. Renowned for its governmental resistance to the Kyoto Protocol, Wild Rose Country actually leads the nation in wind-power generation. And next spring, the community of Okotoks, south of Calgary, will be home to North America's first solar neighbourhood.
The Canadian solar- and wind-power industries have grown remarkably in the past few years, thanks to increased energy demands from a growing population and booming economy, as well as rising fossil-fuel costs and fears about climate change. Even slow-acting provincial and municipal governments are seeking out these green technologies.
In fact, wind-generated energy is the fastest growing renewable power source, according to Industry Canada. In 2005, the wind-energy industry added 240 megawatts of capacity. By the end of this year, it expects to add an additional 700, and the national total will be 1,218 megawatts, primarily in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, PEI and Nova Scotia.
While wind serves only 370,000 Canadian homes now, energy consumers can expect more to come. The previous Liberal federal government provided incentives to the industry that caused rapid growth in the past four years but, since last April, the Conservatives have made no funds available for additional wind energy projects.

Association for the Debunking of Peak Oil & Gas, Part I

Recently, CERA announced that amid "expanded popular discussion of a theory that a peak in world oil production will soon be reached," it is releasing a "new analysis." CERA's new analysis concludes, "The Peak Oil theory is a simplistic model based on flawed logic and incomplete data that has consistently produced inaccurate forecasts." Actually, CERA's "new analysis" is not all that different than its old analysis, as we shall see. But sometimes, there is a market for old wine in new bottles.

Trusts vow to keep fighting tax plan

A coalition of small and medium-sized income trusts are still determined to change Ottawa's recent proposal to tax income trusts, saying the legislation will rob them of their ability to access capital and stifle Canadian businesses growth.
Executives from the Canadian Association of Income Funds told The Globe and Mail Thursday they want to meet with Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty to discuss options, such as grandfathering existing trusts.
"No, we don't believe this is a done deal," said George Kesteven, an executive at Calgary-based PrimeWest Energy Trust, of the proposed changes. "There are better ways to get this done."

China Energy Watch: Allure of Oil Sands Hard to Resist

Canada's vast reserves of oil sands make it the promised land for countries worrying about their energy security, but a slow start by Chinese companies in breaking into the market has left them struggling to catch up with foreign rivals.
China is targeting oil sands - a mix of sand and a tar-like ultra-heavy crude called bitumen - to satisfy its long-term oil demand that the International Energy Agency predicted last week would hit 15.3 million barrels a day by 2030 on the basis of current policies.

China sets sights on Canadian uranium

The federal government is launching a fresh campaign to sell Candu nuclear technology to China, but the Chinese government seems to have a stronger interest in acquiring Canadian uranium to fuel its own, homegrown reactors.

New date for coal plant closures: 2014

Ontario's coal-fired power plants may not be closed until 2014.
A report to be released Wednesday by the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) pushes the closing date of the province's four coal-fired plants back substantially from the previous projection.
The McGuinty Liberals made an election promise to close all four of the province's coal-fired plants by 2007. Ontario later pushed the time frame back for two of the four plants to 2009.
But now the OPA says the province may need a backup source of electricity, in case replacement generation or transmission facilities aren't working in time.