Ed,
Darlington nuke torontostar.com
Oct. 4, 2003. 01:00 AM
Darlington unit joins off-line list
`Geriatric units' raise fears about winter demand Hydro system loses another
power generator
DANA FLAVELLE
BUSINESS REPORTER
Ontario's electricity system lost the use of another generator early yesterday morning, taking nearly 500 megawatts of power out of a system already operating at less than two-thirds capacity.
The unexpected shutdown, which occurred at 4 a.m. during a period of relatively low demand, had little immediate impact on wholesale prices for electricity, according to data published by the Independent (Electricity) Market Operator.
However, the average price had reached $74.55 a megawatt hour by 11 a.m. yesterday, nearly double the regulated price cap of $43 a megawatt hour for retail and small business consumers. Consumers and small business continued to pay the capped amount. The price hike affects only large electricity users.
The IMO will not release the unit's location until today for competitive reasons.
The latest shutdown comes a day after one of the largest nuclear reactors in the province was unexpectedly forced out of service, taking 850 megawatts off line. Unit 1 at the Darlington nuclear power station in Pickering shut down at 9:21 a.m., causing the wholesale price of electricity to jump briefly to just under $300 per megawatt hour.
The price on Thursday fell to more normal levels as the IMO secured alternate sources of supply. It's unclear why the unit at Darlington was forced out of service or for how long.
Ontario Power Generation, which owns the unit, was unavailable for comment late yesterday after identity of the Darlington Unit 1 was revealed on the IMO's Web site after 4 p.m.
The two shutdowns come at a time when nearly 9,000 megawatts of power are already out of service due to planned shutdowns. Fall is an ideal time to conduct routine maintenance while energy demand is low, IMO spokesperson Terry Young explained.
However, some hydro watchers fear not enough of Ontario's aging plants will be back up and running in time to meet winter demand.
"We've got all these geriatric nuclear and coal-power units. All but four of the 40 units are past middle age and many are past their expiry date," said Tom Adams, executive director of the advocacy group Energy Probe.
Adams said the Darlington outage might be a temporary blip. The unit isn't known to have a history of serious problems.
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