Drayton Valley Power
Encyclopedia
Drayton Valley Power is a 12MW biomass electricity generating station near Drayton Valley, Alberta
, about 120 km west of Edmonton. The facility is operated by Algonquin Power
, and uses wood refuse from the nearby Weyerhaeuser sawmill.
This facility is constructed of equipment that was originally located at North Fork, California
. It was moved to Alberta
in 1996 when logging near North Fork was prohibited to protect spotted owl habitat, thus ending the plant’s fuel supply.
Operations on the current site commenced in 1997, after the plant was re-commissioned by Yankee Energy for Drayton Valley Power Ltd. It was the first facility of the Drayton Valley Power Income Fund, and was the subject of its initial public offering (IPO) in 1997. Up to 10.5MW of facility capacity is sold to TransAlta Utilities Corporation
annually pursuant to a long-term power purchase contract (The Drayton Power Purchase Agreement), and any excess is sold exclusively to the Alberta Power Pool at the pool price.
The plant burns wood waste provided by the sawmill that manufactures oriented strand board
(OSB) and lumber, without charge, to heat water and create steam. The facility consists of a boiler (Wickes Boiler - 1953) and a GE steam-turbine generator (1953) retrofitted with a bubbling fluidized bed when it was reconstructed at the new site. With only 21 employees this is one of the smallest grid producers in Alberta.
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, about 120 km west of Edmonton. The facility is operated by Algonquin Power
Algonquin Power
Algonquin Power and Utilities Corp , owns power generation assets in Canada and the United States. The company also owns water distribution systems in the United States.-Assets:...
, and uses wood refuse from the nearby Weyerhaeuser sawmill.
This facility is constructed of equipment that was originally located at North Fork, California
North Fork, California
North Fork is an unincorporated community in Madera County, California. It is located east of Raymond, at an elevation of 2638 feet .It is miles south east of Bass Lake and from Oakhurst. North Fork is also home of the Mono Indian Museum and the starting point of the Sierra scenic byway...
. It was moved to Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
in 1996 when logging near North Fork was prohibited to protect spotted owl habitat, thus ending the plant’s fuel supply.
Operations on the current site commenced in 1997, after the plant was re-commissioned by Yankee Energy for Drayton Valley Power Ltd. It was the first facility of the Drayton Valley Power Income Fund, and was the subject of its initial public offering (IPO) in 1997. Up to 10.5MW of facility capacity is sold to TransAlta Utilities Corporation
TransAlta
TransAlta Corporation is a power generation and wholesale marketing company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta.TransAlta maintains a low-to-moderate risk profile by operating a highly contracted portfolio of assets in Canada, the United States and Australia...
annually pursuant to a long-term power purchase contract (The Drayton Power Purchase Agreement), and any excess is sold exclusively to the Alberta Power Pool at the pool price.
The plant burns wood waste provided by the sawmill that manufactures oriented strand board
Oriented strand board
Oriented strand board, also known as OSB and SmartPly , is an engineered wood product formed by layering strands of wood in specific orientations. In appearance, it may have a rough and variegated surface with the individual strips Oriented strand board, also known as OSB (UK) and SmartPly (UK &...
(OSB) and lumber, without charge, to heat water and create steam. The facility consists of a boiler (Wickes Boiler - 1953) and a GE steam-turbine generator (1953) retrofitted with a bubbling fluidized bed when it was reconstructed at the new site. With only 21 employees this is one of the smallest grid producers in Alberta.