Optimal electricity system planning in a large hydro jurisdiction: Will British Columbia soon become a major importer of electricity?

Behdad Kiani, Andrew Rowe, Peter Wild, Lawrence Pitt, Amy Sopinka and Tom F. Pedersen

Energy Policy, 2013, vol. 54, issue C, 311-319

Abstract: An energy-system model incorporating generation, transmission and integrated management of hydroelectric reservoirs in British Columbia (BC) is used to explore approaches to meeting load projections to 2040. The model includes electricity trade between BC, Alberta and the US, the influence of a carbon emissions tax, contributions from the aging gas-fired Burrard Thermal plant and production from a proposed dam called “Site C” on the Peace River in northern BC. Model results suggest: If load increases as anticipated at 1.4%/year, BC will need to import significant amounts of electricity within two decades. Operating the Burrard plant at full capacity to 2025 and bringing Site C on line in 2020 delays the need to import by only 6 years, while realizing net electricity export sales of $5.9 billion by 2040. Bringing Site C on line but imposing a tax of $30/t of CO2 emitted on gas-fired generation causes immediate closure of the Burrard plant on economic grounds and reduces net export revenue to $0.63 billion by 2040. BC has options, however, including demand side management and development of additional generation capacity. In the absence of these measures, imported power may be more significant in BC's electricity future.

Keywords: Energy planning; Hydroelectricity production; Carbon tax (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421512010221
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:enepol:v:54:y:2013:i:c:p:311-319

DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2012.11.040

Access Statistics for this article

Energy Policy is currently edited by N. France

More articles in Energy Policy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().