March 31, 2011 - Canada backs Lower Churchill hydro project

The Canadian federal government has just announced that it will support the Lower Churchill hydroelectric project in Labrador.  The $6.2 billion project has been in the planning phases for years, but now appears to be moving forward.

Rich in natural resources, Canada is home to a great number of rivers with significant hydropower potential.  Many of these rivers have been dammed and developed in the past century; second only to China, Canada is now a leading producer of hydropower in the world.  In recent years, Canada has been one of the few countries to produce a majority of its electricity from hydropower, with some provinces like Quebec, Manitoba, and Labrador producing over 90% of their electricity from hydro dams.

Since 1971, much of the Churchill River's flow has been diverted into the Churchill Falls hydroelectric station.  At 5,428 MW, the existing Churchill Falls project has the second largest capacity of any power station in North America.  The Lower Churchill project entails building two new plants (Gull Island and Muskrat Falls) with a combined capacity of over 3,074 MW.

It remains to be seen what form the support of the Canadian federal government will take.

July 19, 2010 - life on a Maine island

I've just returned from a visit to one of Maine's offshore islands. Life on a small island can seem fundamentally different: the pace of life is driven by the tides and boat schedules, and fog can often replace the mainland's heat. It was a good place to think about energy policy, and history, and where we can go from here.

More updates to follow regularly.

Brief news recap:

Friends of Merrymeeting Bay (FOMB) have provided 60-day notice of intent to sue the owners of four Maine dams under the Clean Water Act over issues relating to Atlantic salmon. FOMB have a history of legal activism over fish (including eel) passage at dams in Maine, particularly in the Merrymeeting Bay watershed. If you've read my earlier posts about kayaking in Merrymeeting Bay, you might know that Merrymeeting Bay is where the Androscoggin River flows into the Kennebec. FOMB has identified four dams in its threat: the Lockwood Dam in Waterville, "Hydro Kennebec" in Winslow, Shawmut Dam in Fairfield and Weston Dam in Skowhegan.