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Mid-Week Edition
January 7, 2009
Power Prices Fall As Northwest Floods, Demand Drops
Electricity prices fell by $1 to $4/MWh in the West as power demand slipped in California and the Northwest got hit by rain and warm weather.
Up to eight inches of rain is expected in the Northwest through Thursday, AccuWeather said, with a possibility of as much as 16 inches falling on the western slopes of the Cascades.
At the California-Oregon border, peak prices were nearly flat, at an average of $47.71/MWh Wednesday. Off-peak trades dropped $2 since Monday to $39.39/MWh.
Daytime average Mid-Columbia prices slipped nearly $3 since Monday to $42.70/MWh Wednesday, while nighttime deliveries were down more than $3 to $36.10.
California prime trades lost about $1.50 to average $52.41/MWh for North of Path 15 and were nearly flat at South of Path 15. Average nighttime deliveries were stagnant at about $41.72/MWh in the north and added just $2 to $40.91/MWh in the south.
Palo Verde daytime trades climbed $4 to an average of $43.09/MWh. Nighttime values rose $2 to around $34.71/MWh.
In Los Angeles, temperatures will drift into the low 70s this week with plenty of sunny skies. It will be sunny and in the low 60s in Phoenix. It's mostly sunny in San Francisco this week, with temperatures in the mid to upper 50s. A brief shot of rain is expected on Thursday.
California residents and businesses used 31,900 MW of electricity on the Cal-ISO grid on Monday and cut their use to 31,000 MW on Tuesday, the California Independent System Operator reported. On Wednesday, electricity demand was expected to be 31,400 MW.
The West's large nuclear plants are operating at full capacity except for the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Facility north of San Diego. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the nation's nuclear watchdog, is stepping up safety checks after a series of maintenance lapses. The plant's 1,070 MW second unit remains offline for maintenance in preparation for a steam generator replacement this year [Kristina Shevory].
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Western Electricity Prices Mid-Week: January 5 - 7, 2009 |
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| Hub | Peak (heavy) | Off-peak (light) |
| Alberta Pool (C$) | 28.03-175.38 | 17.26-57.71 |
| Mid-Columbia | 39-46.50 | 34-40.50 |
| COB | 46-50.25 | 37.75-41.75 |
| NP 15 | 51.50-54.75 | 40-44 |
| SP 15 | 50.80-54.15 | 37.50-42.25 |
| Palo Verde | 38.75-45 | 31.25-36.50 |
Archives of the Western Price Survey for the past year are also available online.
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