Saturday, July 08, 2006
So you want an ice free port
I haven't been able to get the rolling black outs in Newfoundland/Labrador out of my mind since they were forecast last winter. That combined with Stephenville closing due in large part because of the lack of cheap electricity and the impending Nickel smelter supposed to be built in Argentia that NL needs another source of cheap electricity in the near future.
Since the feds don't seem to commited to their promise to give loan guarantees for the development of the Lower Churchill which really won't solve the islands problems of an energy shortage since once again the feds aren't willing to consider a fixed link or the Anglo Saxon route for a national power corridor.
There could be some hope with the development of those new containers to transport the natural gas off our coast to the island and hence fuel the electric turbine generating plant at Holyrood even that would mean competing at world market values for the natural gas since it is now portable with these new containers. Ideally a pipeline to the island would be the best alternative for the island because that would mean it is in a captive market unless or untill a national power corridor is built linking the island to the mainland allowing for the transportation of Oil, gas and electricity to the mainland.
So to my point of ice free ports. Well if we built a nuclear power plant in any one of the bays the cooling water would create an ice free port. Unfortunately because of security concerns the port would have to be quite a distance from the nuclear plant.
No matter what we do to generate more energy whether it be wind, tidal, hydro or nuclear the writing is on the wall that we are going to need another source of cheap energy real soon if we ever expect to get out from under this crushing debt of 23,000$ per man woman and child in NL.
Update:
Maybe if an air pipe line was laid across the Strait Jacket of Belle Isle and pumped air under the ice it would keep a ice free chanel open all year round. I know from Ice diving that air under the Ice eats away at it from underneath. It would also aid in ice breaking with the upward pressure the trapped air under he ice would create. This method is used around some docking facilities to keep the ice at bay. Since air is cheap and in abundance it would only require piping across the Straite to ensure an ice free crossing year round across the relatively short distance of 13 km.
New dockng facilities would be required to allow for a strait run across the strait Jacket of Belle isle.
Since the feds don't seem to commited to their promise to give loan guarantees for the development of the Lower Churchill which really won't solve the islands problems of an energy shortage since once again the feds aren't willing to consider a fixed link or the Anglo Saxon route for a national power corridor.
There could be some hope with the development of those new containers to transport the natural gas off our coast to the island and hence fuel the electric turbine generating plant at Holyrood even that would mean competing at world market values for the natural gas since it is now portable with these new containers. Ideally a pipeline to the island would be the best alternative for the island because that would mean it is in a captive market unless or untill a national power corridor is built linking the island to the mainland allowing for the transportation of Oil, gas and electricity to the mainland.
So to my point of ice free ports. Well if we built a nuclear power plant in any one of the bays the cooling water would create an ice free port. Unfortunately because of security concerns the port would have to be quite a distance from the nuclear plant.
No matter what we do to generate more energy whether it be wind, tidal, hydro or nuclear the writing is on the wall that we are going to need another source of cheap energy real soon if we ever expect to get out from under this crushing debt of 23,000$ per man woman and child in NL.
Update:
Maybe if an air pipe line was laid across the Strait Jacket of Belle Isle and pumped air under the ice it would keep a ice free chanel open all year round. I know from Ice diving that air under the Ice eats away at it from underneath. It would also aid in ice breaking with the upward pressure the trapped air under he ice would create. This method is used around some docking facilities to keep the ice at bay. Since air is cheap and in abundance it would only require piping across the Straite to ensure an ice free crossing year round across the relatively short distance of 13 km.
New dockng facilities would be required to allow for a strait run across the strait Jacket of Belle isle.
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