Manitoba Hydro selling power in the US much cheaper than what we pay

http://www.winnipegsun.com/news/manitoba/2010/09/17/15394401.html

This is absurd.

Bartron wrote:
This is absurd.

Beyond the concept of buying in bulk, we also have deals - like witn Minnesota - to sell them SURPLUS energy as it's available.

Plus we also IMPORT a large amount of hydro electricity, at certain times of the day, and especially in dry years when there's less water for the hydro dams. How much are we paying when we buy it back?

2 cents and now 4 cents - this is all excess inventory being sold only if it is available.
My dog loves when the hydro meter maiden tries to get out of the back yard (German Shepherd, very protective)! That entertainment is worth the extra 2-8 cents.

Since I don't know the hydro business I have no idea if this is right or not. I'm inclined to think that if surplus then it makes great sense to sell it even at greatly reduced rates. Better a bird in hand so to speak.

If someone knows for certain these are under-priced rates I'd be interested in hearing about them.

I am 87% positive that these rates are only for excess Hydro . If someone asks them via email they will answer.
i asked many months ago if manitoba hydro had enough power available to heat all homes and buildings in Manitoba and the answer came back YES.
To me that means we are burning fossil fuels and causing manitoba to warm up, because of global warming.
We all know that a warm manitoba will cause more Northern land to be developped into farm land and more grains available, especially canola , which is a northern climate type of grain. Heaven forbid if in 3000 years this area will be like Miami Florida! We'll have way too many older, white haired Jewish people in from Montreal and Toronto. Oih Vey!!

The rate deals are all available on the hydo website.. I think?

Yeah, but did the States pay for the hydro lines crossing Manitoba??? OR DID WINNIPEG CITIZENS PAY FOR THE WHOLE GRID?

Silly questios- Manitoba Hydro is run by professionals! No onr there is an NDP implant, are they?
Furthermore 2 years ago , if they paid in US dollars that got us another 8%.
Why do we criticize everything that some dumb ass reporter covers with 35% of the facts, then compares apples to oranges and then to peanuts.
Doesn't Manitoba Hydro make a huge profit that goes right back into the governments , Provincial, pocket?

Aren't they in debt?
If they are, then I guess that money ain't going back to nobody.

Look - we sold $2 billion dollars of electricity at 4 cents KWH, and all Manitoba has to do is spend $4 Billion to build the power lines!!





Hydro reaches 500-megawatt power sale arrangement with Wisconsin Public Service


Manitoba Hydro has signed a “term sheet” with Wisconsin Public Service to provide up to 500 megawatts of clean, renewable hydro power over 15 years starting in 2018, Premier Gary Doer announced today. The deal is worth over $2 billion and will require the Bipole III transmission line as well as new hydroelectric facilities in northern Manitoba and a major transmission line between Canada and the United States. For more details, see the Province of Manitoba news release (open new window).

Yeah...no real news here...looks like someone just wanted to stir trouble and make the NDP seem like it "cares" for the people again.

The rates quoted are not comparable.

The US rate is the bulk cost, and the local rate is for residential service which includes local infrastructure, materials, lines, equipment, service people, etc. All things which are only a small part of the feeding electricity across the border.

Plus, it's not a guaranteed sale, it's only intermittent...so it's either "make some money" or "dump the water" back in the river without turning a turbine. So it would only make sense to sell it at a low, reasonable rate...that the Electric Company in the US can afford to resell and still make a profit.

One responder to the article apparently looked up the apples-to-apples numbers:

Minnesota avg residential electric rate: $0.106 / kilowatt hour
Avg US residential electric rate: $0.119 / kilowatt hour
Manitoba residential electric rate: $0.065/kilowatt hour

We pay the lowest rates in North America.

AGEsAces wrote:

Minnesota avg residential electric rate: $0.106 / kilowatt hour
Avg US residential electric rate: $0.119 / kilowatt hour
Manitoba residential electric rate: $0.065/kilowatt hour

We pay the lowest rates in North America.

Nope, not even close - Ontario and Quebec are often lower. I googled ON utilities and picked the first that came up:

Algoma Power - $.057/kwh

yeah, but ontario also has the "provincial benefit" tagged on top of that.

eViL tRoLl wrote:

AGEsAces wrote:

Minnesota avg residential electric rate: $0.106 / kilowatt hour
Avg US residential electric rate: $0.119 / kilowatt hour
Manitoba residential electric rate: $0.065/kilowatt hour

We pay the lowest rates in North America.

Nope, not even close - Ontario and Quebec are often lower. I googled ON utilities and picked the first that came up:

Algoma Power - $.057/kwh

That's why I said "someone posted"
I didn't look them up...just copy & paste.

Deank wrote:yeah, but ontario also has the "provincial benefit" tagged on top of that.

This is just about the straight cost, if we look at all the add-ons like delivery and whatever that bloat our hydro bills, I always get the impression that the actual electricity cost is merely a small fraction.

I can assure you my hydro rates in Toronto were out-fricken-rageous. I saved a PILE o'money switching from electric heat to gas.

They're pretty much the same here, but I thought that it was because our gas rates were so high.

Not only is it a bulk rate, but it is JUST the raw power.

No cost of hydro poles, transmission lines, residential service, service/maintenance trucks, IT costs, office costs etc...

We pay more than the bulk rate because it includes more.

The end user in the US will still be paying at double of what Manitobans pay once all of the other costs of running a utility company are tacked onto the bill.

Yet we seem to be unable to attract hydro intensive businesses.

"Yet we seem to be unable to attract hydro intensive businesses."

Wouldn't be anything at all to do with the recent doubling(tripling?) of bulk hydro rates for industry in Manitoba ya think?

Doer needed the money.

oh but it was for "green" reasons, you know.. to "nudge" major companies into implementing green strategies.

...like using an easily renewable resource eh? LOL

snicker.. yeah... exactly why I dont understand the reasoning

Doer just blamed it on Filmon. heh heh