Dalhousie Generating Station
Encyclopedia
The Dalhousie Generating Station is a 315 MW Canadian
electrical generating station located in the community of Darlington
in Restigouche County
, New Brunswick
.
A thermal generating station operated by provincial Crown corporation NB Power
, construction of the plant began in 1967 and the first phase was opened in 1969 when the Dalhousie #1 boiler went on line; at 100 MW, it was designed to burn heavy fuel oil
. The 1970s energy crisis
saw many eastern Canadian power utilities change their focus from oil sourced in the Middle East
to local energy sources. As such, construction began in 1975 on the second phase of the plant which opened in 1978 when the larger Dalhousie #2 boiler went on line; at 215 MW, it was designed to burn coal
mined in Minto, NB
and Sydney, NS
.
The drop in oil prices by the mid-1980s and the age of Dalhousie #1 saw NB Power examine options. The Dalhousie plant was particularly attractive for changing its fuel since it was situated on the shore of Chaleur Bay
and had a ship-unloading pier at the nearby Port of Dalhousie to which it was connected by a pipeline (for fuel oil). In 1988, Dalhousie became the site of the world's first large-scale test of orimulsion
fuel when 180,000 tons were burnt to produce 0.5 million MWh. This successful test saw NB Power and Bitor America enter into a long term supply agreement of 800,000 tons/year for both Dalhousie #1 and Dalhousie #2; the plant's conversion was completed in 1994 and began burning Orimulsion 100, switching to a different grade Orimulsion 400 in 1998. The 1994 upgrades saw the plant become the third in Canada to install Flue gas desulfurization
(FGD) technology which saw the addition of scrubber
s for removing particulate pollution.
The plant currently burns Orimulsion and features two boilers and two 168-metre chimneys. The plant consumes 0.8 million tons of Orimulsion per year and currently generates approximately ten percent of the province's electricityhttp://www.nbpower.com/html/en/safety_learning/learning/electricity_generated/electricity_generated.html, while producing roughly eighteen percent of the province's air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions (among large industrial polluters)http://logixml.ghgregistries.ca/New%20Brunswick%20Dashboard%20Solo/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=Dashboard_Industrialhttp://www.ec.gc.ca/pdb/ghg/onlinedata/results_e.cfm?year=2008&gasorcas=gas&gas=all&cas=all&fac_name=Dalhousie+Generating+Station&npri_id=&rep_comp=&location=province&prov=all&city=22+km+NE+of+Fort+McMurray&postal=&naics=all&submit=Submit.
announced that its state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (PdVSA) would begin scaling down production of Orimulsion and not renew any existing supply contracts once they have ended.http://www.gasandoil.com/goc/company/cnl42911.htm This decision threw a wrench in plans by NB Power which was in the process of a $1 billion upgrade to the Coleson Cove Generating Station
, converting that plant from heavy fuel oil to Orimulsion based on a signed MoU with PdVSA. The announcement of the PdVSA's cancellation of future Orimulsion production beginning in 2004, as well as the Government of Canada's decision to become the 99th country to ratify the Kyoto Protocol
on December 17, 2002 cast a cloud over the future of the Dalhousie Generating Station and NB Power's other thermal generating units.
In October 2009 the provincial government announced that it had reached an agreement with Hydro Quebec to sell NB Power to that company (see Proposed sale of NB Power
). The sale was not completed, however, the initial memorandum of understanding would have seen NB Power transfer all of its generating assets except for the thermal stations at Dalhousie, Belledune and Coleson Cove.
After the sale of NB Power to Hydro Quebec was canceled, the provincial government announced that it was placing the Dalhousie Generating Station under a strategic review, since the initial long-term supply contract for Orimulsion with PdVSA expired in June 2010 and was not expected to be renewed. The final delivery of Orimulsion took place in July 2010 and the fuel is expected to supply the generating station until spring 2011. Local residents in the Dalhousie area have been lobbying the provincial government to convert the Dalhousie Generating Station back to coal or heavy fuel oil, citing the loss of many major industrial employers in the region such as a pulp mill
and chemical plant.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
electrical generating station located in the community of Darlington
Darlington, New Brunswick
Darlington is a former village in Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada. it is now a part of the Town of Dalhousie. It was incorporated as a Village in 1977 then merged into the Town of Dalhousie November 4, 1982. The main street through the former village was renamed Darlington Drive after...
in Restigouche County
Restigouche County, New Brunswick
Restigouche County is located in north-central New Brunswick, Canada. The county is named for the Restigouche River which flows through the county and is famous for its salmon pools, which have attracted wealthy American and Canadian tourists to the region's summer colonies for decades...
, New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
.
A thermal generating station operated by provincial Crown corporation NB Power
NB Power
NB Power , formerly known as New Brunswick Power Corporation and New Brunswick Electric Power Commission is the primary and former monopoly electrical utility in the Canadian province of New Brunswick...
, construction of the plant began in 1967 and the first phase was opened in 1969 when the Dalhousie #1 boiler went on line; at 100 MW, it was designed to burn heavy fuel oil
Fuel oil
Fuel oil is a fraction obtained from petroleum distillation, either as a distillate or a residue. Broadly speaking, fuel oil is any liquid petroleum product that is burned in a furnace or boiler for the generation of heat or used in an engine for the generation of power, except oils having a flash...
. The 1970s energy crisis
1970s energy crisis
The 1970s energy crisis was a period in which the major industrial countries of the world, particularly the United States, faced substantial shortages, both perceived and real, of petroleum...
saw many eastern Canadian power utilities change their focus from oil sourced in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
to local energy sources. As such, construction began in 1975 on the second phase of the plant which opened in 1978 when the larger Dalhousie #2 boiler went on line; at 215 MW, it was designed to burn coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
mined in Minto, NB
Minto, New Brunswick
Minto is a Canadian village straddling the border of Sunbury County and Queens County, New Brunswick. Located on the north shore of Grand Lake, approximately 50 kilometres northeast of Fredericton, its population meets the requirements for "town" status under the Municipalities Act of the...
and Sydney, NS
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
.
The drop in oil prices by the mid-1980s and the age of Dalhousie #1 saw NB Power examine options. The Dalhousie plant was particularly attractive for changing its fuel since it was situated on the shore of Chaleur Bay
Chaleur Bay
frame| Satellite image of Chaleur Bay . Chaleur Bay is the large bay opening to the east;the [[Gaspé Peninsula]] appears to the north and the [[Gulf of St...
and had a ship-unloading pier at the nearby Port of Dalhousie to which it was connected by a pipeline (for fuel oil). In 1988, Dalhousie became the site of the world's first large-scale test of orimulsion
Orimulsion
Orimulsion is a registered trademark name for a bitumen-based fuel that was developed for industrial use by Intevep, the Research and Development Affiliate of Petroleos de Venezuela SA , following earlier collaboration on oil emulsions with British Petroleum.-Source of the bitumen:Like coal and...
fuel when 180,000 tons were burnt to produce 0.5 million MWh. This successful test saw NB Power and Bitor America enter into a long term supply agreement of 800,000 tons/year for both Dalhousie #1 and Dalhousie #2; the plant's conversion was completed in 1994 and began burning Orimulsion 100, switching to a different grade Orimulsion 400 in 1998. The 1994 upgrades saw the plant become the third in Canada to install Flue gas desulfurization
Flue gas desulfurization
Sulfur dioxide is one of the elements forming acid rain. Tall flue-gas stacks disperse emissions by diluting the pollutants in ambient air and transporting them to other regions....
(FGD) technology which saw the addition of scrubber
Scrubber
Scrubber systems are a diverse group of air pollution control devices that can be used to remove some particulates and/or gases from industrial exhaust streams. Traditionally, the term "scrubber" has referred to pollution control devices that use liquid to wash unwanted pollutants from a gas stream...
s for removing particulate pollution.
The plant currently burns Orimulsion and features two boilers and two 168-metre chimneys. The plant consumes 0.8 million tons of Orimulsion per year and currently generates approximately ten percent of the province's electricityhttp://www.nbpower.com/html/en/safety_learning/learning/electricity_generated/electricity_generated.html, while producing roughly eighteen percent of the province's air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions (among large industrial polluters)http://logixml.ghgregistries.ca/New%20Brunswick%20Dashboard%20Solo/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=Dashboard_Industrialhttp://www.ec.gc.ca/pdb/ghg/onlinedata/results_e.cfm?year=2008&gasorcas=gas&gas=all&cas=all&fac_name=Dalhousie+Generating+Station&npri_id=&rep_comp=&location=province&prov=all&city=22+km+NE+of+Fort+McMurray&postal=&naics=all&submit=Submit.
Future
In 2004 the government of VenezuelaVenezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
announced that its state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (PdVSA) would begin scaling down production of Orimulsion and not renew any existing supply contracts once they have ended.http://www.gasandoil.com/goc/company/cnl42911.htm This decision threw a wrench in plans by NB Power which was in the process of a $1 billion upgrade to the Coleson Cove Generating Station
Coleson Cove Generating Station
The Coleson Cove Generating Station is a 1050 MW Canadian electrical generating station located at 4077 King William Road in the community of Seaview on the extreme western boundary of the city of Saint John, New Brunswick....
, converting that plant from heavy fuel oil to Orimulsion based on a signed MoU with PdVSA. The announcement of the PdVSA's cancellation of future Orimulsion production beginning in 2004, as well as the Government of Canada's decision to become the 99th country to ratify the Kyoto Protocol
Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change , aimed at fighting global warming...
on December 17, 2002 cast a cloud over the future of the Dalhousie Generating Station and NB Power's other thermal generating units.
In October 2009 the provincial government announced that it had reached an agreement with Hydro Quebec to sell NB Power to that company (see Proposed sale of NB Power
Proposed sale of NB Power
The proposed sale of NB Power was an attempted takeover of New Brunswick's government-owned public utility assets by Hydro-Québec, Canada's largest utility...
). The sale was not completed, however, the initial memorandum of understanding would have seen NB Power transfer all of its generating assets except for the thermal stations at Dalhousie, Belledune and Coleson Cove.
After the sale of NB Power to Hydro Quebec was canceled, the provincial government announced that it was placing the Dalhousie Generating Station under a strategic review, since the initial long-term supply contract for Orimulsion with PdVSA expired in June 2010 and was not expected to be renewed. The final delivery of Orimulsion took place in July 2010 and the fuel is expected to supply the generating station until spring 2011. Local residents in the Dalhousie area have been lobbying the provincial government to convert the Dalhousie Generating Station back to coal or heavy fuel oil, citing the loss of many major industrial employers in the region such as a pulp mill
Pulp mill
A pulp mill is a manufacturing facility that converts wood chips or other plant fibre source into a thick fibre board which can be shipped to a paper mill for further processing. Pulp can be manufactured using mechanical, semi-chemical or fully chemical methods...
and chemical plant.