Glossary of Terms

Mission is to protect and promote competitive markets and enable informed consumer choice in Canada.

The maximum sustainable amount of electric energy that can be carried or delivered in any instant; measured in Watt. A term that can be applied to a transmission system or to a piece of equipment such as a generating unit, electric service or appliance.

For any equipment, the ratio of the average load during a defined time period to the rated capacity.

The regulation governing the relationship between a wire owner and its affiliated retailer and the release and exchange of customer information. The Code seeks to ensure that: retailers and consumers have equal access to regulated services; the wire owner protects the confidentiality of consumer information; retailers have equal access to information disclosed by wire owners; and consumers are dealt with fairly by affiliated retailers.

The simultaneous production of thermal (steam) and electric energy; the electric energy used for industrial plant use and/or sale and the heat for buildings and industrial processes. Cogeneration is a very efficient means of generating electric energy, but its application is limited to situations where there is a requirement for heat (steam load), which usually determines the capacity and location of such a generating unit.

Combination of combustion and steam turbines to generate electric energy from two thermodynamic cycles; exhaust gases from the combustion turbine are directed to a heat recovery steam generator which produces steam to power a steam turbine.

This occurs when the transmission system cannot accommodate all transactions that would normally occur among consumers based on merit order dispatch due to physical or engineering limitations. The physical limitations are determined by the physical capacities of the transmission components. The engineering limitations are expressed through the application of accepted reliability operating criteria.

The consumer in the context of the electricity business is the individual or legal entity that is the end user of electric energy and pays the bill for the cost of producing and delivering the electric energy to the location where electric energy is being consumed by the end user.

The amount of operating reserve sufficient to reduce area control error to zero following loss of generating capacity, which would result from the most severe single contingency all in a manner which adheres to Western Electricity Coordinating Council criteria.

Electricity that is produced at a generating station where the prime movers are driven by gases or steam produced by burning fossil fuels.

Polling of resources, loads and/or joint reservoir management between utilities to allow more efficient operation of existing dams and reservoirs.

The representative elected under paragraph 6.01 of the 1997 Master Agreement between REAs and the integrated utility by the rural electric associations who have entered into similar agreements with the integrated utility.

The flow of electricity in a conductor. Current is measured in amperes.