AI-generated summary
· Decision · unknown
Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board establishes COMFIT tariff rates for five classes of community-owned renewable energy projects, with Synapse Energy Economics providing cost-based rate modelling and St. Francis Xavier University intervening on biomass CHP design assumptions.
AI summary
- The Tariff Design proceeding set Renewable Energy feed-in tariffs under Nova Scotia's Electricity Act for five technology classes: small wind (≤50 kW), large wind (>50 kW), run-of-river hydro, biomass combined heat and power (CHP), and small in-stream tidal energy, with rates calibrated to achieve a 13% target Return On Equity for most classes and 15% for tidal projects.
- Synapse Energy Economics (Bruce Biewald, Wilson Rickerson, Geoff Keith, Susan Shaw) developed the cost models, proposing the biomass CHP rate at $156/MWh based on a condensing turbine scenario plus a $9/MWh incentive premium, with project ownership restricted to municipalities, Mi'kmaq band councils, cooperatives, and universities.
- St Francis Xavier University (intervenor Moses Coady) submitted direct testimony arguing the Board's Synapse assumptions, when applied to STFX's own CBCL 2009 model, yielded a required COMFIT rate of 21.3 ¢/kWh; STFX also challenged several design choices, including the use of back-pressure versus extraction turbines, the feasibility of repurposing existing low-pressure boilers, and the adequacy of the proposed biomass fuel cost indexing mechanism.
- STFX advocated for a Fuel Adjustment Mechanism (FAM) specific to biomass CHP projects, citing supply constraints from provincial biomass harvest caps and new competing demand from projects such as New Page Port Hawkesbury, arguing the proposed CPI-linked escalator would not adequately track Nova Scotia biomass market prices.
- A compliance filing (Document 07604) submitted by Synapse in August 2011 responded to Board directives requiring corrected COMFIT tariff rate adjustments for wind and biomass CHP projects, including detailed depreciation worksheets for taxable and non-taxable owners across multiple technology scenarios.
Disclaimer: This summary was generated by AI from the filings it describes. We take care to make it accurate, but errors are possible - and it isn't advice. Only the filings themselves are the record: if you're relying on something here, confirm it against the source documents or the Nova Scotia Energy Board's own record. Full disclaimer →
What was filed
Documents filed on this day
- B-1 Proposed Tariffs - Amended March 2, 2011 2/28/2011
- B-3 -(i) Direct Testimony and Exhibits of Moses Coady, on behalf of St. Francis Xavier University 3/17/2011
- 07604 Compliance Filing 8/2/2011