Ontario exporting dirty coal power
Submitted by OCAA on Sun, 07/15/2007 - 23:00.
July 16, 2007 Coal phase-out takes back seat to OPG profits Ontario exporting dirty coal power July 16, 2007 - Over the last 18 months, Ontario has developed a new dirty power secret: the province has become a net exporter of coal fired electricity. "The supply crisis in Ontario is largely over thanks to conservation programs, renewable power projects and new high-efficiency gas generators. But instead of seizing the opportunity to expedite the coal phase out, Ontario Power Generation is padding its bottom line with power export profits," says Jack Gibbons, chair of the Ontario Clean Air Alliance (OCAA). These exports are not needed to keep the lights on south of the border. Instead, Ontario is simply selling surplus dirty coal power to the highest bidder in the U.S. power market, he explains. While power exports may look good on OPG’s balance sheet, they look a lot less attractive to the people of Ontario who are paying the environmental and health costs of burning coal. In fact, based on studies prepared for the Ontario government, the OCAA calculates that coal-fired power exports in 2006 were responsible for more than 100 deaths, close to 200 hospital admissions and more than 65,000 minor illnesses (e.g., asthma attacks). Even if OPG rebated the full profits it earned from exports in 2006 to consumers, the result would be a token 77 cent per month bill reduction for the average customer. "It’s simply not worth 77 cents a month to needlessly operate the biggest air polluter in Canada – the Nanticoke coal-fired station on Lake Erie – and to continue to destabilize our climate with the enormous greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power stations," says Gibbons. Coal-fired generating stations represent Ontario’s swing source for electricity production. While nuclear and large hydro generating stations generally operate at constant levels to meet baseload electricity demand, coal plants are ramped up to meet surges in demand. This means they are often operating at or near full capacity on our worst air quality days when high temperatures drive up use of air conditioning. "Ontario should be focusing on cutting peak demand by developing effective programs and incentives to shift electricity demand from peak to off-peak periods, through residential programs like peaksaver that cycle off air conditioners for brief periods on peak days and by improving our still low levels of energy efficiency. This could be a far more profitable approach than selling dirty power on smog days," Gibbons points out. In the lead-up to the 2003 provincial election, Dalton McGuinty promised to ban non-emergency electricity exports (as did the NDP; the Progressive Conservatives said they would continue to allow exports). "It is time to ban non-emergency coal-fired electricity exports," says Gibbons. "We can save Ontario consumers and businesses a lot more than 77 cents a month through effective conservation and efficiency programs while avoiding the enormous costs of meeting our own peak demand with new generating plants," he points out, "and we can do that without damaging our climate, our air and our health." -30- For more information: |