IRAC Updates
Charlottetown, January 13 — Energy Democracy Now! Co-operative Limited, as an Intervener in docket UE20742 Supplemental Capital Budget Request for MECL’s On-Island Capacity for Security of Supply Project, is pleased to submit its written report to the Island and Regulatory Appeals Commission, and looks forward to presenting a verbal report if and when public hearings are held. The public interest is critical to PEI’s energy future.
The following three documents collectively provide a comprehensive, independent assessment of Maritime Electric’s proposed 100MW gas plant and viable clean alternatives.
The Critical Analysis document reviews Maritime Electric’s filings to IRAC, highlighting concerns with the load and capacity forecasts, NPV assumptions, stranded asset risk under the Clean Electricity Regulations, and the limited consideration of demand‑side management, virtual power plants, and large‑scale storage deployed in comparable jurisdictions.
The Levelized Cost of Capacity (LCOC) analysis compares the gas plant to a 100MW grid‑forming BESS, demonstrating materially lower capacity costs, capital requirements, and emissions for the BESS option under realistic operating scenarios.
The Supply Chain Analysis evaluates the practical delivery timelines and risks for both the gas plant and a 100MW BESS, concluding that both can theoretically be delivered in the 2028–29 window, with the gas plant dependent on a time‑sensitive turbine slot reservation and the BESS offering a modular, lower‑emission path if interconnection is managed proactively.