Insights
Regulatory/Market Insights
Agreement on Enbridge System Reliability - Customer Impacts Will Vary
August 2010
Enbridge Gas Distribution is requesting Ontario Energy Board approval of an agreement reached with its stakeholders that sets out the terms for addressing system reliability concerns raised by the utility. The terms affect customers buying their supply from Enbridge and bundled transportation customers, to varying degrees. Read more >>
Emissions Reporting for Energy Users Expected to Grow
June 2010
Greenhouse gas emissions reporting requirements have been established by the Ontario Government. Although the initial impact is narrow, it is seen as a first step toward wide-spread tracking of emissions and their eventual pricing. Read more >>
Changing Nature of Electricity Demand in Ontario
March 2010
As economic conditions improve, it is uncertain whether demand for power from the industrial sector in Ontario will return to pre-recession levels. It is anticipated that the commercial and residential sectors will become the predominant consumers of power. What might be the impact of this shift? Read more >>
Global Adjustment: Problem or Symptom?
February 2010
More and more, customers are realizing that while hourly electricity prices have been fairly low since March 2009, the total energy price on their bill - hourly spot price plus the Global Adjustment - has stayed the same or has been rising. This raises a question about whether the Global Adjustment is the problem or a symptom of larger problems. Read more >>
Moving Marcellus Gas into Ontario: A New Purchasing Opportunity
February 2010
With new extraction techniques, the Marcellus shale formation in the Appalachian Mountains has become one key area of interest for unconventional gas supply. As a result, pipeline companies have been gauging interest in pipeline capacity from Marcellus back to Dawn in Ontario. Read more >>
Basis Changes - A Key Factor in Energy Buying Strategies
February 2010
Until this past autumn, AECO prices tended to be at a large discount to NYMEX prices. This discount has narrowed considerably, with a similar trend observable between AECO prices and those at Dawn in Ontario. Changing basis relationships suggest buyers need to shift their focus when it comes to energy buying strategies. Read more >>
Samsung's Renewable Energy Deal: Assessing the Cost
February 2010
In January, the Ontario Government announced a deal with Samsung and Korea Electric Power designed to add 2,000 MW of wind and 500 MW of solar power, thereby tripling the province's current fleet of renewable generation. Aegent has undertaken an analysis of the cost of the deal. Read more >>
Green Power Math - It Adds Up to "Dilution"
November 2009
The Feed-in Tariff will make it tough for green power retailers to compete with the Ontario Power Authority to buy new green generation. For a retailer looking to provide some new and truly incremental green power, a lot of "dilution" is required to make the math work. Read more >>
The Changing Nature of Alberta Natural Gas Production
November 2009
Alberta's conventional natural gas production has been on the decline, providing incentive for producers to develop new drilling techniques. The new methods have opened up possibilities for provinces other than Alberta. Read more >>
TransCanada Tolls to Increase Dramatically
November 2009
The mainline tolls for TransCanada PipeLines are set to rise significantly on January 1, 2010 with the cost for firm transportation to Eastern Canada increasing by 38% to about $1.64/GJ. Read more >>