City meeting demand for power while exporting to the grid. (CHAT News File Photo)

By Brian Konrad

City maintaining power supply despite the cold

Dec 30, 2021 | 12:02 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — While some parts of Alberta were asked to cut back on their electrical usage earlier this week, Medicine Hat was not in any danger of losing power.

The Alberta Electric System Operator put out an alert on Monday, asking people to delay turning on Christmas lights or household appliances, as the cold was impacting the operation of some generation facilities.

But Boyd Mostoway, the manager of operations for Medicine Hat Power and Water, says our power plant was working just fine.

“Our staff here has done a great job of getting everything ready for the winter, and Medicine Hat is in no danger at all as we can produce more than what the city can consume,” says Mostoway.

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Any excess power that’s available is exported to the grid to support the rest of Alberta.

Mostoway says all equipment here was loaded up to full power during the alert on Monday night.

The sale of power onto the grid does provide a financial boost to the city’s bottom line.

When Unit 17, the newest generation facility comes online by the end of March next year, it will add an additional 40 megawatts of capacity in the winter, and 44 in the summer when we see our peak demand for power.