Cold last to nights, winter wheat down to Kansas effected!

[SASKFARMER3]

Clear sky's and no snow cover down to Kansas.
Add dry fall when it was seeded, throw in record
cold in Europe and yes they got snow but really
low temps.
Now next 10 days hot hot hot for South America.
Boys maybe I was wrong the super invitories
might drop a little. Each dry event in SA is taking
away yield. Each rain event is just stabilizing it.
Soy up at opening tonight.

[Steve_Winkler]

No doubt. 6 degrees here in Orlando, going down
to 2 overnight. Froze our faces off at Disney this
morning!! Ugh!!

[mcfarms]

Frost hits grain crops in parts of east Europe


February 12, 2012 RECORDER REPORT 0 Comments Freezing temperatures coupled with a lack of snow cover in some parts of eastern Europe have badly damaged winter sowings and will lower 2012 grain crops, farmers and meteorologists said.

A cold snap in early February, when temperatures plunged to minus 30 degrees Celsius, has damaged 40 percent of winter grain crops in major Black Sea producer Ukraine and is posing risks to sowings in smaller grain exporter Bulgaria as well as in the Czech Republic.



Sufficient snow cover is protecting plantings in most of Poland, the European Union's fourth largest wheat producer, as well as the wheat and barley fields in Hungary, Romania and Serbia, but extensive cold is raising concerns, officials said.

The frost impact can be estimated at the end of March at the earliest, when the plants start to develop in warmer weather, but farmers and grain analysts say that most of the wasted crops can be replanted with spring sowings.

Grains can survive frosts as deep as minus 20 degrees centigrade if they have protective snow to insulate them.


Cold weather is raising worries over damage to grain plantings in western Europe too, though crops there could still come through the freezing temperatures unscathed.

Record frosts following a severe drought in the autumn have damaged Ukrainian winter grain crops in the eastern and southern parts of the country, Tetyana Adamenko, head of the agricultural department of Ukraine's meteorological service said on Thursday.


"The situation is worsening.

Despite some snowfall in eastern and southern Ukraine, these levels are not enough to protect crops from the record frost," she said.

Ukraine's harvest of winter grains could fall by 42-58 percent to between 10 and 14 million tonnes due to poor weather during sowing and wintering, Adamenko has said.

In Bulgaria, winter sowings that were first hit by extensive drought were exposed to deep frosts as strong winds have blown away the snow blankets in the north-eastern part of the country, while icy rains have flooded part of the sowings in the south.


"The grain harvest will be lower than in 2011.

First the drought, now the frost and the floods.

The picture is mixed but there is significant damage, especially with the ****seed," said Radoslav Hristov, deputy head of the National Association of Grain Producers.

Bulgaria harvested 4.3 million tonnes of wheat last year, 670,000 tonnes of barley and 515,000 tonnes of ****seed.


The lack of protective snow in the grain productive areas in the Czech Republic is endangering the crops.

"I can say with a 100 percent certainty that the harvest this year will not be at the same level as last year," said Juri Snejdrla vice president of Czech Agrarian Chamber.


Czech farmers harvested 8.2 million tonnes of grains last year, up 20 percent from a year earlier.

In Poland, much of the country was covered with snow, but extensive cold is raising concerns for the conditions of wheat and ****seed.

"With grains the situation should not be very bad as a large part of the country is covered by snow," Wieslaw Lopaciuk, analyst at state institute IERiGZ, said.

[JACKFLASH]

sask farmer In southeast sask. should we be a little concerned that the winter wheat crop got hit some.

[SASKFARMER3]

Last time We had a winter with this little
snow I had Winter wheat in the ditches and
that was it on 320 acres. But their was a
-40 for about a week that jan. Oh wait we
had one week this year also.
Orlando is tricky steve some times you get
nice weather and sometimes it sucks. Last
Feb burnt for week then bought jackets
then burnt again.

[grassfarmer]

Thanks Kathy that letter from Joe never made it to
the local paper in Rimbey for some reason. Another
excellent expose of the BS that is "free enterprise" in
Alberta. How do you get the average Albertan aware
of this stuff, aware enough to think and to vote
against the people who allow it?

[ag-boy]

very interesting reading KATHY!!!!!
Manipulation! We where with Direct -Energe two billing system after many phone calls ,went back to the old billing and saving every month so far
TAXPAYER where manipulated by transalta scam small fine of $370,000
every day we read of manipulationand different collection outfits for transalta to get our fee.
We all have to keep watching our montly bill POWER AND GAS AS WELL
I noticed our Government is for the big CORP and this good topic on AGRI-VILLE about BILLS RIGGED !!!!!!
again KATHY keep us up to date
any more comments coming ?????
look at your monthly statement and
compare !!!!!!

[ASRG]

Thanks for posting that info Kathy.....somehow I missed it!
Have now posted it on the ASRG website: www.albertasurfacerights.com

[ASRG]

Incredible! Power lines Will be Built.....Redford Listened!

February 13, 2012
Committee recommends two north-south transmission lines; calls for new process for designating future projects

Government to respond to report in coming weeks

Edmonton... The Critical Transmission Review Committee has found that forecasts showing a need to immediately reinforce the transmission grid are reasonable, and recommends proceeding as soon as possible with development of two high-voltage direct current transmission lines between the Edmonton and Calgary regions.

“In our considered view, the planning for these transmission lines has been reasonable and they are required to meet the needs of Albertans,” said committee chair Brian Heidecker. “We do recognize concerns expressed about Bill 50 and recommend amending the legislation to remove the ability of cabinet to designate any future projects as critical.”
The committee recommended changes to legislation so that consideration of the need for future projects is returned to the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC). It is also recommended that the AUC consider options that will mitigate the cost impacts of the transmission reinforcement to residential and industrial consumers.

“The committee has done a thorough job and I appreciate their efforts. Their findings will be carefully considered and responded to in the near future,” said Energy Minister Ted Morton.

The committee found that the cost impact of developing the lines is anticipated to be $3 a month for residential consumers. The impact on industrial consumers would be $1.25 a megawatt hour (MWh) per billion dollars of investment, or $3.75/MWh total.

The committee also noted that Alberta historically imports more power than it exports and concluded that concerns the lines will be used to export power are unfounded, as the export of thermal energy from Alberta against hydro and US gas-fired generation is not economically viable.

Appointed on Dec. 6, 2011, the committee heard from 30 organizations representing landowners, municipalities, electricity producers and consumer associations during the course of their review.

Heidecker chaired the committee which included Dr. Roy Billinton, Dr. Joseph Doucet, and Henry Yip. The committee report is available at www.energy.alberta.ca.


-30-
Backgrounder: Recommendations of the Critical Transmission Review Committee

Media inquiries may be directed to:
Derek Cummings
Public Affairs Officer
Alberta Energy
780-422-3786

To call toll free within Alberta dial 310-0000.




February 13, 2012
Recommendations of the Critical Transmission Review Committee

The following recommendations are being put forward by the committee to address concerns related to development of the north-south transmission reinforcement between the Calgary and Edmonton regions:

Economic, Demand and Generation Forecast
1. The committee finds that AESO’s economic, load and generation forecasts for Alberta are reasonable.

The data, methodology and intellectual rigour used to determine future demand for electrical transmission in Alberta is credible and robust. The AESO has access to exclusive statistics from real-time data points across the provincial grid to analyze the transmission system as well as appropriate information on load and generation development. We believe that the AESO’s team has greater specialized knowledge for the Alberta electric demand than any other single organization and also consults widely with stakeholders and external forecasting experts to vet its approach and results.

Need for Transmission Reinforcement
2. The committee agrees that the AESO’s recommendation to proceed with the development of two 500 kV transmission lines is reasonable.

*The need analysis conducted by the AESO indicated that the anticipated planning flows associated with the considered scenarios exceed the existing limits on the South of Keephills (SOK) cut plane. As a result, immediate reinforcement of the north-south transmission system is required due to the increasing difficulties in complying with industry standards and AESO operating rules and procedures. The committee notes that the need for the transmission reinforcement was established in 2004 and approved as part of the regulatory process in place. Since that time, growth in the province has increased and so has the demand for electricity. In addition, the likelihood of brownfield, greenfield and co-generation developments in northern Alberta increases the need for additional north-south transmission capacity. This approach also supports Alberta’s fair, efficient and openly competitive electricity market.

High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) Technology
3. The committee has determined that the AESO’s decision to use HVDC technology is reasonable.

The use of HVDC transmission reinforcement is more respectful of landowners. The HVDC transmission towers have a smaller footprint making it less inconvenient for landowners. The technology can also be scaled up to provide greater transfer capacity without requiring future access to the right of way. There are additional technical benefits to the use of HVDC. This includes operating flexibility and the ability to control the flow of electrical energy on the north-south interconnection. The Alberta government, recognizing these benefits, directed the use of HVDC where possible.

Timing and Sequencing
4. The committee finds it reasonable for the Alberta government to proceed with the development of the two 500 kV HVDC transmission lines as soon as possible.

The committee agrees with proceeding with both lines due to the significant risk of regulatory and construction delays of the transmission reinforcements. With large scale projects of this magnitude, moving forward with both projects concurrently is a sound approach given the increasing pressure on the transmission system. By proceeding concurrently with the Western Alberta Transmission Line (WATL) and Eastern Alberta Transmission Line (EATL), the need for a reliable electrical transmission system between Calgary and Edmonton is more likely to be satisfied on time and provides capacity in advance of the need for a second line. The committee understands that the addition of either WATL or EATL alleviates the immediate operating concerns and meets the requirements to support the transmission needs of the Calgary region in the short-to medium term.

Electric Statutes Amendment Act, 2009
5. The committee recommends the government amend the legislation authorizing it to designate future proposed transmission facilities as critical transmission infrastructure. The need for future critical transmission infrastructure would then be considered under the authority of the Alberta Utilities Commission.

Rate Impacts
6. The committee understands that there will be rate increases associated with the development of north-south transmission system reinforcement and recommends the AUC consider options that will mitigate the impact to consumers.

The anticipated cost to the residential consumer is $3/month based on the estimate that consumers absorb these costs at a rate of $1/month per billion dollars of transmission infrastructure investment. It is important to note that only 25 percent of Albertans have chosen fixed price contracts. The remaining 75 percent of Alberta’s residential customers remain on the regulated rate option which exposes them to the volatility of the market. The estimated cost to an industrial consumer is anticipated to be $1.25/ MWh. The committee acknowledges the concerns of the industrial customers. Additional work in this regard is underway through the Transmission Facilities Cost Monitoring Committee.

Competitive Bidding
7. The committee encourages the use of the competitive procurement process for future critical transmission infrastructure projects and the continued use for procurement of components.

*A cut plane is an imaginary line separating two areas of the transmission system to enable the evaluation of flow of electrical energy on multiple lines connecting these two areas.


-30-

Media inquiries may be directed to:
Derek Cummings
Public Affairs Officer
Alberta Energy
780-422-3786
To call toll free within Alberta dial 310-0000.

Alberta Government | Newsroom | Ministries Listing | Energy Home Page | News Releases | Top of Page |



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


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Copyright(©) 2012 Government of Alberta

[grassfarmer]

Unbelievable as you say ASRG.
I can see Joe having fun with this little quote
"The committee also noted that Alberta historically
imports more power than it exports and concluded
that concerns the lines will be used to export power
are unfounded"

Maybe they'll draw up some new plans that will
include fake schematics showing some of the power
heading into Calgary this time? On the previous
round it was clear there was no intent in the plan to
direct any of this additional power capacity into the
city despite dire warnings that it would suffer power
outages by 2009 unless the extra capacity was built.
I was in Calgary on Saturday and the lights all
seemed to be working three years on.

[Kathy]

I have a copy of Joe Anglin's power-point presentation given in Hanna on the 6th of February. At first, I was confused about some figures (MW versus MW.h and generator capacity etc.), but Joe has set me straight. If anyone wants a copy just email me at lkczar@hotmail.com


Three Dollars per month extra on our bills for the building of these HVDC power-lines! What is Brian Heidecker smoking??

Edmonton Journal article from January shows ATCO and ALTA LINK have already committed to spending millions on projects. ATCO claims their line will only cost 1.6 billion, while ALTA LINK claims their western line will only cost 1.4 billion - for a total of 3 billion. RIGHT! Where's the guarantees?
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/alberta-politics/200M already spent proposed transmission lines under review/6006888/story.html

"$200M already spent on proposed transmission lines under review - Firms told to stop spending on $3B project

ATCO and AltaLink have already spent about $200 million - money consumers could ultimately be on the hook for - on two proposed Edmonton-Calgary transmission lines that are now under review, according to Alberta Energy.

The ministry has requested the two builders and operators of the respective lines to stop spending on the $3 billion project until a Critical Trans-mission Review Committee appointed by the premier reports Feb. 10." [see link above for rest of article]

Heidecker stated it was imperative that at least one of the lines goes ahead right away... my guess it will be the ATCO line, since they have spent a significant amount of cash and effort to prep sites for their camps etc.

Also, in Joe's power-point it shows maps from joint Canadian/American transmission line proposals and it appears the east-HVDC-line is the main branch; allowing all the excess power from Fort MacMurray (co-generation) to make its way south to California.

[Kathy]

Check out this letter from City of Airdrie Alderman Allan Hunter, to Premier Alison Redford - regarding the bullying and cussing of Minister Liepert at a recent meeting with Airdrie Council:

http://www.albertalandownerscouncil.com/Feb%2002,2012-Alderman%20Letter%20Regarding%20Minister%20Liepert %20Cussing.pdf

[sumdumguy]

Alberta used to be a leader. Sask stood by and
watched in awe as your resource weath
benefitted albertans. Low taxes, no sales tax
cheap booze and gasoline. The wealth trickled
down to feather the nest of every albertan.

I really dont know what happened. It seems so
out of control now. Fill me in.

[kato]

Interesting. Three billion for two lines going from Edmonton to Calgary? What is that, about 300 km? That's a lot per km, isn't it?

Manitoba Hydro is working on one that goes from the north, to Winnipeg, and takes the long way around the lakes (which is a whole other controversy), and they're quoting 3.28 billion so far. That's for over 1000 km of line.

Two provinces, worlds apart.

[Steve_Winkler]

You got that right! Froze the one day then back up to 75-80 degrees. Great holiday though! My two little princesses had the time of their lives.