Victoria-Port Angeles undersea cable project clears regulatory hurdles; applies for loan
The route of a 550-megawatt power cable to be laid between Victoria and Port Angeles, Washington. Image © by Sea Breeze Power Corp.
A 550-megawatt high wattage undersea power cable project between Victoria and Port Angeles, Washington, has cleared all regulatory hurdles in both countries and is on track for a 2012 completion, according to a US Loan Guarantee Application by project proponent Sea Breeze Power Corp.
The nearly $1-billion Juan de Fuca Cable Project, in planning since 2004, will connect the power grid in the United States with energy generated on Vancouver Island by renewable sources such as wind power. The cable is expected to add between 20% – 30% of “geographically diversified” bi-directional power capacity running parallel to what is referred to as a chronically congested transmission pathway between Vancouver, B.C., and Seattle, Washington.
According to the loan application, $134-billion of economic activity is estimated to occur in the Juan de Fuca region on both sides of the border as a result of this project, generating some 177,000 “person years” of employment.
The cable, stretching nearly 50 km between the BC Hydro Pike Substation in View Royal and the Port Angeles Substation in Port Angeles, will be submerged off of Fleming Bay in Esquimalt and will surface in Port Angeles Harbour at the foot of Liberty Street.
In the Victoria area the cable will run from the town of View Royal along a BC Hydro maintenance road connecting Phyllis Drive near the Highland Pacific Golf Course. It will then veer under the Trans Canada Highway and the Fort Victoria RV Park then continue east parallel to the E&N Railway tracks. Once it hits Craigflower Road near Admirals Road, the cable will head east until Lampson Road where it will turn south and run straight to Fleming Bay in Esquimalt.
Construction of the project is estimated to take 26 months with completion in 2012.
For more information on Sea Breeze Power, view the company’s official website here. To read the US Loan press release issued by Sea Breeze, click here. To discuss this project on the VibrantVictoria.ca discussion forum, click here.
Copyright © 2010 by VibrantVictoria.ca. All rights reserved.
Responses to this Headline or Article
The five most recent replies to VibrantVictoria.ca's discussion forum's Victoria (View Royal) to Port Angeles USA power cable project thread, the most relevant thread to the above headline or article:
victorian fan
Feb 03, 2010 at 3:29 pmKAPS
(PORT ANGELES)- A Canadian company wants the U.S. Department of Energy to guarantee loans for an underwater cable project from Victoria to its likely Port Angeles terminus: a Bonneville Power Administration substation next to Peninsula College.
Quote: Sea Breeze Power wants to build a 31-mile cable under the Strait of Juan de Fuca to connect the U.S. power grid with energy generated on Vancouver Island.
Marilyn
Feb 09, 2010 at 2:32 pmThe cable will transmit power from "Vancouver Island by renewable sources such as wind power."
Where are they going to locate these wind farms?
Update:
To answer my own question:
Knob Hill Wind Farm
150 MW project on the Knob Hill Plateau on the northern tip of Vancouver Island
66 turbines, 35 k to the west of Port Hardy. There are already 8 meterological towers
on the site.
Bernard
Feb 09, 2010 at 5:23 pmIt is much more likely that the transmission line will be used to bring power onto Vancouver Island as we need more power on the island. That said, this sort of connection to the rest of the Western Interconnection is something we do need to have no matter whether power is imported or exported.
The Sea Breeze Knob Hill proposed wind farm has been stalled out for some years now, going on six years I believe. The problem with most wind farms is that the technology is still not producing power cheap enough that they can make a profit at the rates available in BC.
We have VERY low power rates in BC and this means many green power projects simply are not economically viable. The only two green power sources that make economic sense in BC are biomass and non-storage hydro (aka run of the river or microhydro).
BC Hydro electrical rates are significantly lower than those in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alberta. They MUCH,MUCH lower than rates in Alaska
Marilyn
Feb 10, 2010 at 11:25 amhave been okay'd by the Province, not only for Knob Hill but the entire Northern tip of Vancouver Island except for the parks (I hope!). The government has also accepted the environmental assessments for coal and gas exploration over thousands of acres in the Cowichan valley. I believe that the pipeline is for these projects, energy going out not coming in.
What energy does the hungry giant next door have to sell anyway?
Bernard
Feb 10, 2010 at 4:04 pmBC currently buys more power from the US and Alberta than we send to them. There is power out there to accessed.
The EA cert. is only for the Knob Hill project. The Holberg wind farm was granted a certification, but it has been abandoned as a project due to low rates.
No other wind energy projects are under consideration on Vancouver Island at this time.
I assume you mean the Comox valley for the coal development, the Raven Creek project. This falls in an active coal mining region and has been so since 1848. The Quinsam coal mine is still on operation
