RADISSON, Que. — In February, the United States did something that it had not done in many years — the country sent more electricity to Canada than it received from its northern neighbour. Then, in March, U.S. electricity exports to Canada climbed even more, reaching their highest level since at least 2010.
The U.S. and Canada have long relied on each other because power use tends to peak north of the border during the winter when Canadians use electric heaters, and American electricity use peaks in the summer during air-conditioning season.The abundance of Canada’s hydroelectric power has been a cornerstone of the trade, providing relatively low-cost renewable energy to California, Oregon, Washington state, New York state and New England.
In addition, electricity use is expected to climb as people and businesses turn to electric heat pumps, cars and industrial equipment to replace devices that burn oil, natural gas and coal. Demand is also growing because of data centers. “I do think there is power in being interconnected across North America. We need scenario planning. We need long-term planning.”
“It looks like conditions are abnormally dry,” said Gilbert Bennett, president of Water Power Canada, a nonprofit that represents the hydropower industry. “The year-to-year variations are becoming large.”