August Electricity Consumption Dips 2.9% YOY
Canada’s available electricity totalled 41.0 million megawatt hours (MWh) in August, down 2.9% from the same month in 2014. Generation levels were also lower for the month, down 1.9% to 46.5 million MWh, reflecting lower output fin some provinces rom hydro and nuclear generators.
Canada’s electricity exports to the United States increased 1.8% to 6.2 million MWh on higher deliveries from British Columbia. Imports fell by nearly a quarter on a year-over-year (YOY) basis to 0.6 million MWh. Lower receipts from the United States were widespread with British Columbia posting the largest decline.
Chart 1: Electricity generation and consumption, August 2012-2015
In Ontario, electric power generation levels totalled 11.8 million MWh in August, a 5.8% decrease compared with the same month in 2014. Lower water inflows to generating stations pushed hydro generation down 24.3% to 2.2 million MWh, more than offsetting small gains in steam conventional, nuclear, solar and wind generation. Lower generation, combined with higher net outflows, pushed total available electricity in August down 7.2% to 10.5 million MWh.
On the east coast, maintenance shutdowns at a nuclear power plant in New Brunswick resulted in a 27.3% decrease in total generation levels, which fell to 0.8 million MWh. Mitigating the decline, output from hydro, combustion turbine and steam conventional generators rose by more than 9% (in each case) on a year-over-year basis. To meet demand, the province increased receipts from other provinces, principally Quebec.
Generation gains of 7.7% in British Columbia and 18.9% in Newfoundland and Labrador eased the national decline in generation levels. Both provinces used their higher generation levels to increase deliveries; exports from British Columbia to the United States rose 57.6%, while deliveries from Newfoundland and Labrador to other provinces were up 27.6%.
Source: Statistics Canada, http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/151027/dq151027b-eng.htm?cmp=mstatcan
