TORONTO — As temperatures soar and Ontario power demand is yanked higher, the provincial power grid looks better able to withstand a heat wave than it was a year ago, thanks to added nuclear and gas-fired generation and better availability at hydroelectric plants.
Ontario was sweltering on Monday and power demand was high, but generating capability within the province was "relatively good," said Terry Young, a spokesman for the Independent Electric System Operator, which runs the province's wholesale power market.
About 92 percent of the province's nuclear generating fleet was available late Monday, along with 88 percent of coal-fired generating supply and 88 percent of hydroelectric supply, the IESO web site said.
By 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT), Ontario power demand stood at 26,092 megawatts, the highest level so far in 2006 and above the IESO's projected daily peak. But it fell short of Ontario's summertime demand record of 26,160 MW, set on July 13 last year.
Reflecting the tight supply and demand situation, the hourly wholesale price at 5 p.m. EDT jumped to more than 19 Canadian cents a kilowatt-hour, almost four times the average weighted price for July.
North American natural gas prices and futures contracts also surged on Monday due to high temperatures in the U.S. Northeast and Midwest, two key gas-consuming regions.
Ontario may set power demand records later this week, with the thermometer forecast to soar to 36 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit) in Toronto on Tuesday, according to Environment Canada . In Ottawa , the province's second-biggest power demand center, the high on Tuesday is seen at 35C (95F).
The province's electrical grid strained last year under severe demand. The grid operator had to issue several power warnings in June and August 2005, and implemented voltage reductions during two days.
But since then, the provincial system has seen more than 600 megawatts of new supply become available, IESO spokesman Young said. That includes 515 megawatts of capacity from unit 1 at the Pickering nuclear generating station, which returned to service late last year, and the Greater Toronto Airports Authority's new 117 MW gas-fired cogeneration plant.
Hydroelectric power availability is also better than it was last summer, Young said.
Hydroelectric capacity, which accounts for about 24 percent of the province's power supply, suffered from drought-like conditions last summer, the IESO has said previously.
Local utility Toronto Hydro, which distributes power to commercial and residential customers, asked all customers on Monday to look for ways to reduce their power use, especially at peak afternoon times.
Toronto Hydro started a summer conservation challenge in mid-July, in which customers who cut their power use by 10 percent below last summer's level will be eligible to save an extra 10 percent on their bills.
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