IESO 2008 Electricity Figures Show Record Levels of Hydroelectric Power
Statistics released today by Ontario's Independent Electricity System Operator show record hydroelectric production and lower peak demand for electricity in 2008.
"While the mild and wet summer of 2008 won't be remembered fondly by vacationers, the increased precipitation led to record levels of hydro output and a low peak demand for electricity due to a reduction in the use of air conditioning," said Paul Murphy, IESO President and CEO.
Ontario's annual energy use was 148 terawatt hours (TWh), down by 2.3 per cent compared to 2007 due to milder weather, economic conditions and increased conservation efforts. Coal production was 23.2 TWh in 2008, which is the lowest since 1996, and a drop of 18 per cent from the 28.1 TWh produced in 2007.
The output of wind generation jumped significantly for the second year in a row with a 35 per cent increase compared to 2007 as a result of new wind farms coming on-line.
"In 2009, we expect wind energy will set another record, with total production surpassing two terawatt hours," Murphy said.
2008 Generation Figures:
- Ontario Energy Production totalled 159.3 TWh
- Generation by Fuel Type:
- 53 per cent from Nuclear (84.4 TWh)
- 24.1 per cent from Hydroelectric (38.3 TWh)
- 14.5 per cent from Coal (23.2 TWh)
- 6.9 per cent from Gas/Oil (11 TWh)
- 0.9 per cent from Wind (1.4 TWh)
- 0.6 per cent from Other Sources (1 TWh)
- Ontario Electricity Trading in 2008:
- Exports: 22.2 TWh
- Imports: 11.3 TWh
- Net Exports: 10.9 TWh
2008 Demand Figures:
- Peak demand: 24,195 megawatts (MW) - June 9, 2008
- Annual energy use: 148 TWh
- Four hours when demand was greater than 24,000 MW (compared to 62 hours in 2007)
- 44 hours when demand was less than 12,000 MW (compared to 27 hours in 2007)
2008 Electricity Prices:
- Average weighted spot market price for energy was $51.67 per megawatt hour (MWh) or 5.2 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), up slightly from $50.51 per MWh in 2007
- The Global Adjustment was a charge of $6.14 per MWh or 0.6 cents per kWh compared to $3.95 per MWh in 2007