Port Hawkesbury Paper's Point Tupper, Nova Scotia, paper mill one of several customers to request participation in Nova Scotia Power's pilot project that would reduce power interruptions for industrial customers
Debra Garcia
LOS ANGELES
,
January 16, 2014
(Industry Intelligence)
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Port Hawkesbury Paper LP’s Point Tupper, Nova Scotia, paper mill has asked to participate in a Nova Scotia Power Inc. (NSP) pilot project aimed at ensuring industrial users suffer fewer power interruptions, The Chronicle Herald reported on Jan. 13.
Port Hawkesbury Paper, a subsidiary of Pacific West Commercial Corp., is one of about 20 customers to apply for the project, but as its tariff structure differs from others in the group, it must apply for a separate approval and would be part of a parallel program.
The NSP program, which aims to allow the utility to shed load quickly, is a response to some customers’ complaining of more power outtages in 2013 than in previous years. Industrial customers in the program will be on 10-minute standby if NSP needs to reduce demand and will receive discounts on their power.
Port Hawkesbury Paper applied because the mill’s paper production is affected by the interruptions that occur when power utilities reduce load, mill official Marc Dube said, reported The Chronicle Herald.
NSP strongly favors the Point Tupper mill’s addition to the group, noting that the mill would benefit without its involvement damaging other customers’ access to power. Other participants also appear to favor the mill’s inclusion.
As the province’s largest power user, the mill is in a customer class of its own, receiving a special discount rate, or load retention tariff, under which it pays the cost of supplying its electricity and contributes at least C$2 million a year to system costs, The Chronicle Herald reported.
NSP’s two-year pilot project began this winter and was approved by the provincial regulator in December.
The primary source of this article is The Chronicle Herald, Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Jan. 13, 2014.
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