ELECTRICAL GENERATION 2012
In the Northwest Territories (NWT) there are three main energy sources used to generate electricity: natural gas, diesel fuel and hydro resources. Hydroelectric generation is used in eight communities in the Great Slave Lake area, while natural gas-fired power plants provide electricity to the community of Norman Wells. The remaining 24 communities have electricity provided by diesel-fired power plants.
Electricity Suppliers There are three suppliers of electricity in the NWT: Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC), Northland Utilities NWT (NUL), and Imperial Oil Ltd (IOL). NTPC is a GNWT Crown Corporation. It services 27 communities through the operation of 21 isolated diesel plants, and 6 hydro plants. NUL consists of two companies. Northland Utilities (Yellowknife) Ltd. distributes hydroelectric power in Yellowknife and Northland Utilities (NWT) Ltd. distributes hydroelectric power in four communities in the South Slave. Northland Utilities (NWT) Ltd. also generates and distributes diesel-electric power in four isolated communities. IOL sells natural gas-fired electricity to NTPC for distribution in Norman Wells.
How are Electrical Energy and Power Measured? Electrical power is the rate of energy flow and is measured in Watts (W). Electrical energy is equal to power multiplied by the amount of time it is used and is measured in Watt-hours (Wh). Electrical energy is commonly sold in kilowatt-hours (kWh), equal to 1000 Wh. A gigawatt hour (GWh) is equal to one billion watt-hours or one million kilowatt-hours.
Community Electricity Generation 2010 NWT Electricity Generation Including Industrial Consumers 2010 (Total Consumption 309,045 MWh) (Total Consumption 722,675 MWh)
Natural Gas Diesel 9% Natural Gas 17% 18% Diesel 50% Hydro Hydro 32% 74%
Source: NWT Bureau of Statistics. www.nwtenergy.ca Power Plants Installation Capacity (megawatts) Northwest Territories Power Corporation Natural Gas Norman Wells 14.50 Diesel Aklavik 1.58 Colville Lake 0.24 Deline 1.15 Fort Good Hope 1.23 Fort Liard 1.32 Fort McPherson 1.83 Fort Simpson 3.21 Gameti 0.61 Inuvik 10.90 Jean Marie River 0.23 Lutsel’ke 0.82 Nahanni Butte 0.25 Paulatuk 0.82 Sachs Harbour 0.80 Tsiigehtchic 0.50 Tuktoyaktuk 2.21 Tulita 1.10 Ulukhaktok 1.16 Wha Ti 0.98 Wrigley 0.76 Northland Utilities Ltd. Diesel Fort Providence 1.48 Dory Point-Kakisa 0.30 Wekweètì 0.38 Trout Lake 0.33 Mines Diesel Diavik 8.60* Ekati 11.40* Gahcho Kue 8.80** Snap Lake 14.50* Northwest Territories Power Corporation North Slave Snare Rapids 8.50 Hydro Snare Falls 7.50 Snare Cascades 4.30 Snare Forks 9.00 Bluefish (Yellowknife River) 7.50 South Slave Taltson 18.00*** * Average power production ** Anticipated use *** Approximately 8MW surplus on an annual basis Key Facts • Growth in community electricity generation in the NWT is very small. In the past 20 years, change has been driven primarily by resource development. • For example, in the North and South Slave communities, growth in electrical generation has been about 0.5% for many years. In other regions, electrical generation is not expected to grow at all. • In Yellowknife, electricity requirements could be significantly impacted by the Yellowknife Community Energy System (district heat) Project and the Giant Mine Remediation Project.
www.nwtenergy.ca