European Passion will eletricfy Alberta

[VK_777]

For many Albertans, the way of life in our province consists of nothing more than our standard of living. Oil, business, and personal services create the welcome mat for anyone considering the move to this beautiful province and the majority of people who have arrived to take advantage of Alberta’s financial opportunities have found what they were looking for. On the other hand, so many people have an unfilled desire for so much more. The night life is mundane, weekends are repetitive, and a large void is only partially filled for musicians, artists and anyone else who is tired of waiting for something better.

Young Calgarians are the driving force behind the electricity that VK plans to inject into Alberta. With this powerful wave coming from across the Atlantic and originating in the UK, there is little doubt that the passion hiding in the hearts of Albertan’s can be unleashed.

With the full support of a very successful and energetic company out of the UK, representatives of VK have complete confidence that they will succeed in creating a new culture in Alberta that consistently commands a higher standard of entertainment.

 

[cyberclark]

I wonder if VK (whoever that is) is going to sell off it's UK holdings to build in Alberta?

This speaks to Kleins insider dealings.

Aquila sold off it's holdings in Kansas and bought out the Alberta Power distributor. More money to be made in Alberta!

Ralph Klien took control of the rates on all the power lines under cover of yet another bald faced lie. He told Albertans he was taking control of the power lines in the Government so all communities in Alberta would pay the same rate for electricity.

Wow!
Next he told the generators they had to divest themselves of the power lines. Then along came Aquila and picked up the whole works and yes, Alberta is all paying one rate but the highest in the country!

It gets worse from a consumer standpoint. The Alberta advantage went right out the window when Klein sold 60 billions of dollars of electrical infrastructure for a penny on the dollar! Along with this scam went the Alberta Advantage. Utilities are too high in this province to support secondary industry!

The Ontario Teachers Pension fund bought out Sherritt Gordon Mines and the Fording Coal company. Fording owned metallurgical coal and heating coal. The latter they turned over to Sherrit in the marriage of companies.

Fording is dusting off an old plan to build a generation station 2400MW range at Brookes Alberta.. When done it will buy the coal off Sherritt to run it. Who says what price is fair??

On the first time around Fording were going to build the plant and all the power lines back into Calgary. Between Transalta and a well orcastrated environmental lobby thier plan was killed until after this Government had a chance to sell off all the lines.

All this isn't about a local light bulb, don't kid yourself. What it is about is the 70MKW of generation capacity the US is going to be short of. This power and these lines are slated to move the new export energy!

What's my problem with this?
This Government wants the rate payers, my neighbour, myself to pay for all the construction while the exported powe rides for free!

No one considers that without the export we would not need the extra lines and generation capacity.

At some point I would hope a number of people go to Gaol.

 

[cyberclark]

Any chance you can tell us what kind of a deal Alberta gave you to build here? Power lines in the US are going broke all over the place! That is part of their problem.

I guess I will have to do an expose' on power.

Any one else interested in the whole power story?
I have a good friend in an electrical engineer who has worked designing power lines all over the world. By now, I have a good insight what to look at!

 

[Timetrvlr]

Sounds like a one-issue one-post sort of guy. Now we are supposed to express our curiosity so he can start the sales pitch. No thanks!

 

[cyberclark]

Klein is offering companies from all over he world to build lines in Alberta to meet his US market place which is huge by any standard. Guranteed highest prices in the world are on the board. Unfortunately that means because of NAFTA Albertans will be paying the highest prices in the world!

Allen and myself are open to any questions regarding implications;what works, what doesn't who pays and how!

Most important, remember there are other ways to achieve the desired market place while allowing fairness to the domestic population!

Sacbee Morning News Bulletin for AllanDane:
The US is a disaster area as far as power is concerned and a huge business opportunity for all the provinces whith an energy resource like water coal or oil. Water is the cheapest power.

Sources, all respectable!
(1) jrosen@mcclatchydc.com
(2) Sacramento Bee for Monday, January 16, 2006

Please also note that my comments were based entirely on a moderately intelligent interpretation of Mr. Rosen's excellent report and that I had no independent way to confirm or deny any part of his report. However I am very much inclined to believe his report to be entirely accurate.

The article was written by James Rosen of the Sacramento Bee's Washington, D.C. Bureau. Note the budget for the US Military and study the implications of the attrition of that war machine: much of the US Airforce aircraft and logistics equipment has become obsolete in context of Iraq and probably will need to be replaced at huge expense.

The US Federal deficit is about $470 billions (about equal to its military budget) and recent indications that North America will need 70 gigawatts of new generation by 2013 yet the first new generation of nuclear powerplants probably will not be on-stream until 2015 at the earliest really worries me. Canada's independence is likely to be a moot point, in this context, long before 2013.

(intro: Allan is a well seasoned, very professional electrical engineer who as worked all over the world in the design of transmission lines and generation plants.)

Allan
adane@telusplanet.net

 

[cyberclark]

I should clarify NAFTA input.

NAFTA does not concern itself with "REGIONAL" programs.
Ralph could charge us what ever he wants on our Electrical and heat.

He has set up a rebate program of sorts which kicks in late and kicks out early on electricity.

The thing here is that this Government is deliberaly using rate payers in Alberta to finance his industrial expansion which flows directly into the pockets of the exporters.

NAFTA concerns itself with specific industries being subsidised or charged differently than the formual used in the US or elsewhere.

 

[cyberclark]

Miss McLellan and gentlemen,

I suggest that you click on, read, and contemplate "Nuclear power critics taking long view".

In 2004 the National Electric Reliability Council (NERC not to be confused with FERC which does have governmental activitites) issued a report in which they estimated that North America would need 70 gigawatts of new generation by 2013 and probably would have 68.2 gigawatts at that time.

In this article you will find that the earliest that the industry could expect any new nuclear powerplants to be on-stream (in the USA) is 2015. The "(in the USA)" is my interpolation.

Bear in mind, please, that such giant Investor Owned Utilities in California as San Diego Gas and Electric, Southern California Edison, and Pacific Gas and Electric have all been victims of the Enron fiasco and are struggling to supply their customers with the power their customers need....

Both SDG&E and PG&E have requested tenders from "others" to supply them with bulk power which they will retail to their customers. This indicates to me that their fiscal health is very poor and that they will probably have thousands of very irate customers no matter what they do.

During the Reagan - Bush Administrations, the annual US Federal deficit averaged about $350 billions. Individual States also had deficits. The result was a huge increase in borrowed capital, mostly from Japanese money-markets, and interest rates soared to 20% per annum or more. By 1984 it became obvious that any Investor Owned Utility which had a large nuclear powerplant under construction at that time was certain to be seeking protection from its creditors. Both SDG&E and PG&E were examples. FIRST ENERGY of Ohio was another. El Paso Electric of Texas was another.

The US Federal Government presently has a deficit of at least $470 billions and California has a huge, chronic, deficit.

Miss McLellan and gentlemen, the American Investor Owned Utilities have very close connections to the Republican Party. Wendell Wilkie had been CEO of the Commonwealth and Southern Group of companies before contesting for President of the United States against President Roosevelt, for example.

In 1929 many I.O.U.'s had been borrowing money under pretext that they would invest the money in transmission and distribution circuits. Some did do as promised but some did not. Those that did not invested it in real estate and, when the bubble burst, there was a threat of bankruptcy which the US Nation could not afford.

In 1935 the Public Utilities Holding Companies Act was passed by the US Congress. If a Holding Company had connected its subsidiaries together with transmission lines the Holding Company was permitted to continue to operate as such. Otherwise the Holding Company was forced to break up into independent corporations. The Commonwealth and Southern Group was one of the Holding Companies that was forced to break up. One of the companies in that Group was the engineering arm which became known as Commonwealth Associates Inc., a company which employed me from 1971 until 1986.

I have attempted to show you why the Investor Owned Utilities of the USA tend to be pro-Republican and, therefore, do not want to "rock-the-boat" by criticizing the unwise economic policies of a Republican President of the USA. Very strongly I believe that is the reason these I.O.U.'s are not doing so now but the facts are clear: the American people will be screaming at Canada for more power in a few years, even a few months, and the American people will not accept valid arguments that Canada cannot provide it.....You have been warned and I will remind you when the American Ambassador makes the demands...if I hear about the demands!

Allan
adane@telusplanet.net
LongViewURL LongView

 

[cyberclark]

Having outlined the mess the US power is in and the market advantages for Canada, I will put forward this bit of information:
I questioned Allen on the wisdom of putting his personal details on the net. His response:
"
The main advantage is that some, maybe even a large number of people, know that the price of electric energy in Alberta is typical of Third World countries and wonder why."


This is the major reason industry other than oil (which produces and sells elelctrical power to the grid) is going out of business at every level!

The Power purchase options I spoke of earlier were bought, sold and resold again. Each incriment driving up the cost of the holding and, the "basic" price of power. This is the Enron North investigation you seen in the papers. No charges came and no details of the investigation were put out. Multi billions of dollars scammed away; not a squeak!Every one out there in every jurisdiction should get interested! We can help brush the techie stuff aside.

I have some of the paper but, I'm still digging!

 

[cyberclark]

This letter as valid today as when it was posted!
July 14, 2004
cyberclark@shaw.ca

Murray Smith, MLA\
404 Legislature Building,
Edmonton, AB T5K 2B6

Re:- Your letter of June 22/04 – Alberta’s first sales tax to be put on electrical transmission

.

Your letter is confusing; even misleading. Your say “necessary transmission upgrades have been estimated at about one billion dollars over the next decade. The cost would be recovered in customer bills, once the project has been approved and constructed. An increase of about $2.00 per month is estimated for a typical residential customer by 2012”

The eminent Mr. Peter Lougheed has stated in the paper recently ATCO will with draw from pipe line constructions because the EUB would not allow them the 11% profits asked for; restricting them to 9.6%. In the same release he said they would invest in Power Transmission Lines. This would indicate the EUB and your Conservative Government are going to allow a 11% or greater profit margin to the TransAlta and other Transmission line builders!

The www.aeso.ca /transmission web site you directed me shows the preferred option XIII to have a cost of 1.7 billion dollars, ( 30% error allowed and profits not included is stated) just for the Edmonton-Calgary portion of the line.

Accepting the allowance will be used up, the costs then comes to 2.21 billion. Add to this the profit margins granted at a minimum of 11% moves the figures close to 3 billion dollars only for the Edmonton Calgary 500KV Line!

Using your 2.00 tax to utility bills figure on 2 million residences it will take over 40 years to pay off the simple costs, a 100 years to pay off the extended numbers! Why did you pick 2012? Perhaps, 80.00 per month until 2012?

To your reference on wind generation being available only where wind (or smoke) is blowing. The same web site shows that wind is sufficient to generate electricity for the grid for only 30% of the time! (bps; Wind power is allowed on line ahead of all others which guarantees profit for wind genertors an environmental faviorite)

It is your plan to have Albertan’s finance the additional Billions of dollars for transmission lines from the wind farms for export purposes. The point being a 30% duty rate will not begin to pay for transmission lines and, you have said Albertan’s would not have to pay for export power!

As to the Oil Sands power generation. With their new recovery schemes using hardware like 8000 HP electric motors turning 3 meter diameter fans, they certainly need the power. You have not yet responded to my question regarding Oil Companies withholding power from the provincial grid unless they get their low 25% royalties turned back to the insane 1% which you allow them.

How can you possibly put out the story Albertan’s are debt free! I view that as a hoax designed to misdirect public attention away from the real problems. Albertan’s are looking down the barrel of some 6 billion dollars in debt, direct or indirect according to the figures you have put forward by reference! When you add this to this Government’s plans for Privatized Water, the future is bleak if Albertan’s vote Conservative. Again, what a mess you guys have made of it!


Time to get interested folks!