Ontario Power Generation (OPG) commits a portion of its capital budget to environmentally-friendly power generation technology each year. This year OPG has allocated $100 million to a wind turbine electricity generating system. OPG management is attempting to decide where to locate the system. Both sites have favourable wind patterns that would result in the same amount of electricity being generated. The first site, at James Bay, is in Ontario and the electricity generated would be carried along the OPG transmission grid at no additional cost. The second site is at Goose Bay, Labrador. However, electricity generated there would have to be carried on the power transmission lines belonging to the Quebec and Newfoundland power authorities and they would charge an annual fee for this service which would be an expense for OPG. The federal government is attempting to encourage industrial development in Labrador through the Enterprise Labrador Program. Under this Program, a tax credit in the amount of 30% of the capital investment is given to companies investing new capital equipment in Labrador. The Program requires that the total amount of the credit be taken out of the investment's CCA pool at the time of the investment. The credit can then be used to reduce OPG's tax liability as follows: 1. Half the tax credit to be taken immediately at the time of the investment. 2. The balance of the credit to be taken in the following year. OPG engineers have evaluated the Enterprise Labrador Program regulations and have confirmed that the wind turbine equipment would qualify for the tax credit. OPG is a very profitable company and pays income tax at the rate of 40%. Its after-tax MARR is 12%. Electricity generating systems, such as wind turbines and solar panels, are allowed a CCA rate of 20%. Note that project engineers are assuming an indefinite service life with zero salvage value for wind turbine equipment and that OPG is taking a very long-term view of the project. (a) What is the maximum annual electricity transmission fee that OPG would be willing to pay to the power authorities in Quebec and Labrador and still locate the turbines in Goose Bay? [12]
