Yukon Energy Corporation
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YUKON ENERGY CORPORATION APPLICATION FOR APPROVALS REGARDING THE VGC GROUP POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENT INTERROGATORY RESPONSES FILED December 11, 2017 John Maissan (JM) Yukon Energy Corporation Application for Approvals regarding the VGC Group Power Purchase Agreement JM-YEC-1-1 1 TOPIC: YEC-VGC PPA Application 2 3 REFERENCE: Page 1: VGC on-site diesel generation less than 5 MW 4 5 PREAMBLE: 6 7 QUESTION: 8 9 a) What number and sizes of diesel generators does Victoria Gold plan to install? 10 11 ANSWER: 12 13 (a) 14 15 VGC Group plans to install 3 units [1.65 MW for each unit]. December 11, 2017 Page 1 of 1 Yukon Energy Corporation Application for Approvals regarding the VGC Group Power Purchase Agreement JM-YEC-1-2 1 TOPIC: YEC-VGC PPA Application 2 3 REFERENCE: Page 2 and elsewhere: 4 5 PREAMBLE: 6 7 QUESTION: 8 9 a) Please explain why YEC is having VGC build the McQuesten substation – is it 10 because VGC can do it at lower cost or faster than YEC, has fewer contracting 11 constraints, has better access to capital, etc.? 12 13 b) The PPA Schedule B on page 5 (Appendix B1) indicates that VGC will be having 14 ATCO tender the long lead equipment. 15 i. Is the ATCO referred to here ATCO Electric Yukon, or ATCO Electric in 16 Alberta? 17 ii. Please explain the relationship between VGC and ATCO on this project. 18 iii. Please explain the relationship between YEC and ATCO on this project. 19 20 ANSWER: 21 22 (a) 23 24 YEC and VGC Group have worked together to finalize detailed design of the McQuesten 25 Substation and are continuing to work together, pursuant to the MOU and the PPA, on the 26 tendering, procurement, construction, commissioning and turnover of the substation to 27 YEC. 28 29 As the timing for completion of the substation is a key risk item for VGC Group to be able 30 to connect to the grid and receive grid power, and VGC Group is also responsible for 31 funding most of the McQuesten Substation capital costs, a decision was made for VGC 32 Group to undertake tendering and construction management pursuant to MOU terms. 33 VGC Group is able to proceed with these activities, as required to protect its in-service 34 schedule, prior to the YUB approval of PPA provisions as required under Section 3.1(a) 35 of the PPA. December 11, 2017 Page 1 of 2 Yukon Energy Corporation Application for Approvals regarding the VGC Group Power Purchase Agreement JM-YEC-1-2 1 (b) 2 3 Please see response to YUB-YEC-1-27(a). The ATCO referred to is ATCO Power Canada 4 Limited. 5 6 ATCO Power Canada Limited was selected through an RFP process and retained by VGC 7 Group to undertake detailed design of the substation and to provide Issued for 8 Construction (IFC) drawings and technical specifications for a construction RFP document 9 for tendering this work. As noted in the response to UCG-YEC-1-23 (a-b), Yukon Energy 10 funded 50% of these costs to ensure the McQuesten Substation was designed to operate 11 at the 138 KV standard required by YEC. 12 13 Pursuant to the MOU provided in Schedule B of the PPA, ATCO Power Canada Limited 14 and Yukon Energy have worked together with VGC Group to complete the required 15 substation design in order to advance the project towards the construction stage. December 11, 2017 Page 2 of 2 Yukon Energy Corporation Application for Approvals regarding the VGC Group Power Purchase Agreement JM-YEC-1-3 1 TOPIC: YEC-VGC PPA Application 2 3 REFERENCE: Page 5: VGC approximate 90 day period of reduced electrical 4 demand in winter between December 1 and March 31. 5 6 PREAMBLE: 7 8 QUESTION: 9 10 a) Is VGC to inform YEC of the dates for this reduced demand or will YEC set the 11 dates? 12 13 b) A 90 day period could well run from January 1 to March 31 leaving YEC to meet 14 peak system demands during November or December with the mine load at it high 15 level. For the November 1 to December 31 period of each of the years 2012 to 16 2016 and November 2017 please provide: 17 i. The peak load (in MW) each year, and 18 ii. The peak load in the November – December period. 19 20 c) If the VGC mine runs at full load during November and much of December is there 21 not a high probability that a substantial portion of their 10.4 to 13.3 MW normal 22 load would contribute to peak system loads? 23 24 d) What are the peak system loads projected by YEC for the 2019-2020 and 2020- 25 2021 winters? 26 27 e) At these peak loads what would be the anticipated contributions of hydro, LNG, 28 and diesel generation absent new renewable energy additions? 29 30 ANSWER: 31 32 (a) 33 34 Pursuant to Section 5.2 of the PPA, VGC Group will inform YEC of the specific 90-day 35 period for each year. December 11, 2017 Page 1 of 4 Yukon Energy Corporation Application for Approvals regarding the VGC Group Power Purchase Agreement JM-YEC-1-3 1 (b) 2 3 The 90-day period is expected to be from early December to early March each year. VGC 4 Group’s planning assumes that this occurs during the period of coldest temperatures. 5 6 System hourly peak load for the year and the November/December period over the 2012- 7 2016 period are presented in Table 1 below. Except for 2017 YTD (when December is not 8 yet over), the peak occurred in December of each of these years. 9 10 Table 1. Comparison of hourly peak load and the peak load over the November- 11 December period for a given year (2012-2017 YTD). NOVEMBER DECEMBER HOURLY HOURLY HOURLY YEAR PEAK LOAD PEAK LOAD PEAK LOAD [MW] [MW] [MW] 2012 82.24 79.45 82.24 2013 82.69 77.24 82.69 2014 76.52 73.52 74.17 2015 82.06 73.23 77.93 2016 87.51 74.33 87.51 2017YTD 85.21 83.07 77.12 12 13 (c) 14 15 As noted in response to (b) above, VGC Group is not expected to run at peak load during 16 the coldest periods in December. Yukon Energy does not forecast a high probability that 17 a substantial portion of the VGC Group normal peak load (i.e., materially more than 45% 18 to 50% of the 10.0 to 12.7 MW peak sales per Table 1 of PPA Application) will contribute 19 to winter peak system loads. 20 21 (d) 22 23 Although Yukon Energy has received forecast VGC Group loads for each of the first six 24 years of operation, the overall winter peak load impacts will be driven by the extent of 25 other industrial mine loads on the grid in each of these years – and YEC does not have 26 useful information today as to likely forecasts for each year for Minto or Alexco. December 11, 2017 Page 2 of 4 Yukon Energy Corporation Application for Approvals regarding the VGC Group Power Purchase Agreement JM-YEC-1-3 1 Table 2 below presents a scenario for the forecast peak demand for 2019-2020 and 2020- 2 2021 winters that is consistent with load assumptions for 2020 and 2021 as per Table 3 in 3 the PPA Application, broken down by major classes. 4 5 Table 2. Forecasted hourly Peak demand for 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 winters 2019‐2020 Winter 2020‐2021 Winter CLASS [MW] [MW] NON‐INDUSTRIAL 90.89 92.92 INDUSTRIAL 11.73 12.29 TOTAL 102.62 105.21 6 7 (e) 8 9 YEC can provide comment on the potential dependable capacity by different generation 10 sources in the winters of 2020/21 and 2021/22. This analysis does not assess the single 11 contingency (N-1) dependable capacity with the loss of 37 MW at Aishihik. 12 13 Based on the 2016 Resource Plan and current information, Table 3 below provides the 14 maximum dependable capacity available to meet the peak demand in these future years 15 based on existing YEC resources and including the 3rd LNG engine and ATCO Electric 16 Yukon thermal capacity. As noted in the 2016 Resource Plan, a number of changes that 17 may affect this maximum dependable capacity are being assessed under YEC’s ongoing 18 resource planning, including development of additional thermal capacity (new thermal 19 plant of up to 20 MW), the potential energy storage project, uprates and/or refurbishments 20 to existing hydro facilities (e.g., assume work carried out in summer and not affect winter 21 capacity), and the planned retirement of FD1 and WD3 diesel units (8.5 MW) at the end 22 of 2020. December 11, 2017 Page 3 of 4 Yukon Energy Corporation Application for Approvals regarding the VGC Group Power Purchase Agreement JM-YEC-1-3 1 Table 3. Maximum dependable capacity by generation source: 2020/21 and 2 2021/22 MAXIMUM GENERATION DEPENDABLE CAPACITY SOURCE [MW] HYDRO 70.5 THERMAL NATURAL GAS 13.2 THERMAL DIESEL 35.7 TOTAL 119.4 3 December 11, 2017 Page 4 of 4 Yukon Energy Corporation Application for Approvals regarding the VGC Group Power Purchase Agreement JM-YEC-1-4 1 TOPIC: YEC-VGC PPA Application 2 3 REFERENCE: Page 6 Section 4.2 1: 4 5 PREAMBLE: 6 7 QUESTION: 8 9 a) The second paragraph contains a reference to Minto and Alexco paying rates 10 under Rate Schedule 42, should this read Rate Schedule 39? 11 12 ANSWER: 13 14 (a) 15 16 Correct.