Production plummets at pricey Bluefish dam
Low water levels mean generation drops; Snare hydro system operating at less than a third capacity
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Friday, July 10, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A dam the GNWT replaced three years ago at a cost of $37.4 million is only producing 13 per cent of its power generation capacity due to low water levels.
According to Northwest Territories Power Corporation spokeswoman Pam Coulter the Bluefish dam, with a capacity of 7.75 megawatts located about 20 kilometres north of the city, is producing about one megawatt of electricity. Since completion in 2012, it generated between three and six megawatts.
Bluefish can provide up to 20 per cent of the city's power demand. Reduced production means increased reliance on the Snare hydro system and diesel.
"That will be a significant concern as we get closer to winter months, but NTPC has a plan in place," Coulter said Tuesday about the reduced power generation this summer, referring to a plan to increase diesel generation capacity.
In regulatory filings, the Crown company states the facility will only produce between 0.5 and 1.5 megawatts in the summer and fall. The power corp. is considering suspending operations at the site and leaving it to emergency use only according to the report filed with the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board.
"That's an amazingly low percentage considering the money we spent on it," said Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins on Wednesday, who expressed surprise when the information was read to him.
Although two years of low water isn't enough to suggest a long-term trend, he said the overall power generation strategy must be reexamined.
In the past, Coulter said low water levels seemed to occur over two years before returning to normal.
"Just assuming the water will be there may not be good enough going forward," he said.
Weledeh MLA Bob Bromley suggested the water levels are another sign of climate change and the direct impact it can have on pocketbooks.
"It's just like having shutters being pulled from our eyes when it comes to the real impact of climate change," Bromley said.
Dams work by having a reservoir of water built up and the pressure of water flowing through the dam turning a turbine that generates power. Less water means less power. Bluefish and Snare dams provide power to Yellowknife, Ndilo, Behchoko and Dettah.
Water inflows to the Bluefish hydro system started earlier than normal this year, the report filed with the land and water board states, but had an "insignificant peak."
The Yellowknife River flow is reduced and expected to increase this month, but "will not alleviate the water deficit at Duncan Lake Reservoir."
The Yellowknife River and the Duncan Lake Reservoir both contribute to the dam's water supply.
The report shows the forecasted generation and water flow at the dam and what actually transpired.
In June, it shows the Yellowknife River was expected to have a flow of 36.3 cubic metres per second. The actual flow recorded was 7.45 cubic metres per second.
Because of that, "NWTPC will consider suspending operations at this site temporarily and leave it to emergency use only due to insufficient inflows for operating levels," the report states.
In the winter, it will operate between 1.5 and 2 megawatts, "drastically reduced from normal generation patterns," the summary states.
The Snare hydro system, which saw record low water levels last year, can produce up to 30 megawatts. According to Coulter it was producing about seven megawatts as of Thursday, reduced in part because of ongoing maintenance during the summer.
Snare has less water than it did last year, a year in which the company applied for an electricity rate rider on consumer power bills and the GNWT spend $20 million to prevent the cost of power from spiking.
