Canadian hydro-electric exports to US growing because of state renewable energy targets
Exports of Canadian hydro power growing, but revenue shrinking because of lower prices
Since 2012, eastern Canada has been the source of about 70 per cent of Canada’s electricity export volumes, according to a National Energy Board press release.
The remaining 30 per cent originate from western Canada. Most eastern Canadian exports are from Quebec and Ontario to New York and Vermont, while most western Canadian exports are from (British Columbia) B.C. and Manitoba to California, Minnesota, and North Dakota.
Total Canadian electricity export volumes rose to record levels in 2016, but export revenues declined due to lower prices.
International power lines currently connect Canada to the U.S. East (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, and Massachusetts), the U.S. West (Washington and Montana), and the U.S. Midwest (North Dakota, Minnesota, and Michigan.
A number of new projects have been proposed or are under development, including the Lake Erie Connector which recently received regulatory approval in Canada, as well as two applications currently before the NEB: the Manitoba-Minnesota Transmission Project and the Quebec–New Hampshire Interconnection.
Among the drivers of this development are renewable portfolio standards and renewable electricity targets in many U.S. states.
These mandate minimum levels of renewable power in each state’s electricity mix and often do not distinguish between domestic and imported renewable power.
As a result, exports of Canadian power, especially from Ontario and Quebec, are well positioned to grow.