Applications to Export Electricity to U.S.

Summary#

The Canada Energy Regulator has received three applications to export electricity to the United States.

• Freepoint Commodities LLC applied on 16 September 2022 to export up to 10 000 000 MWh per year for 10 years.
• Triolith Energy Fund, LP applied on 6 September 2022 to export up to 8 760 000 MWh per year for 10 years.
• Twin Rivers Paper Company Inc. applied on 12 September 2022 for a border accommodation permit to export power to its U.S. affiliate from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2032, up to 60,000 kilowatts at any one time and no more than 400,000,000 kilowatt‑hours in any 12‑month period.
  These are applications (not permits). The CER is asking for written comments by 17 October 2022, with applicant responses due by 1 November 2022 (or 31 October 2022 for the Twin Rivers notice).

What it does#

• Opens a public comment process under Division 2 of Part 7 of the Canadian Energy Regulator Act so the CER can decide whether to issue export permits.
• Seeks views on possible effects of the proposed exports on provinces other than the province where the electricity would originate.
• Asks whether each applicant has told Canadian buyers who said they were interested about the volumes and service types available, and whether those buyers had a reasonable chance to buy the electricity on as-favourable conditions as offered to U.S. buyers.
• Provides deadlines for submissions: written comments to the CER and the applicants by 17 October 2022; applicants may file answers to comments by 1 November 2022 (Twin Rivers: answers due 31 October 2022).
• Notes that Freepoint Commodities LLC does not own or control any Canadian power generation, transmission, or distribution assets.

Who's affected#

• Freepoint Commodities LLC, Triolith Energy Fund, LP, and Twin Rivers Paper Company Inc. (the applicants).
• Potential Canadian buyers who previously declared interest in buying electricity for consumption in Canada.
• Provincial governments and electricity system operators — the CER explicitly wants views on effects outside the originating province.
• Twin Rivers Paper Co. LLC in the United States as the named recipient of the Twin Rivers export.
• Anyone with an interest in cross‑border power exports or in how exports might interact with domestic supply and contracts.

Why it matters#

• Exports on the scale requested are large enough that they could matter to provincial electricity planning, contract availability, or market outcomes. The CER is asking for input precisely to understand those possible effects.
• This is a public step: members of the public, utilities, governments and potential buyers can comment before the CER decides.
• The Twin Rivers filing shows a common use of export permits: providing a steady supply to a nearby cross‑border facility under a long-term arrangement.
• These are proposals; no permit has been granted yet. The CER’s review and the public comments may change the outcome.