East Toronto Transmission Line to slice through Don Valley and city's east end
Submitted by OCAA on Mon, 04/02/2007 - 23:00.
April 3, 2007 Would bring nuclear power to downtown Toronto East Toronto Transmission Line to slice through Don Valley and city’s east end April 3, 2007 - The Ontario Power Authority (OPA) is proposing that Hydro One build a new $600 million high-voltage transmission line to bring additional nuclear generated electricity to downtown Toronto according to a report East Toronto Transmission Line: Pulling Toronto Backwards, released by the Ontario Clean Air Alliance (OCAA) today. According to the Independent Electricity System Operator, this new line will be needed between 2011 and 2015 to keep the lights on in Toronto if no other steps are taken to address the city’s electricity demand. The OPA’s preferred route for the new transmission line appears to be through East Toronto from the Parkway Transformer Station in Markham to the Hearn Transformer Station near the mouth of the Don River on the Toronto waterfront. At least part of the route will be strung on transmission towers that are equal in height to a 10-storey building and that will require a right-of-way as wide as a major arterial road. “The proposed East Toronto high-voltage transmission line is the electricity equivalent of the Spadina Expressway,” said Jack Gibbons, Chair of the OCAA. “There is a better option which protects Toronto’s east-end neighbourhoods and the environment while keeping energy dollars and jobs in the city, but it won’t happen if decision making stays in the backrooms”, Mr. Gibbons stated. “Instead of increasing the output of the Bruce and Darlington nuclear stations and building a new high-voltage transmission line, we should meet 100% of the City’s incremental electricity needs from Made-in-Toronto options, such as energy conservation, small-scale renewables and natural gas-fired combined heat and power plants,” Mr. Gibbons said. “With strong leadership from Mayor Miller and city-owned utilities Toronto Hydro and Enwave Energy Corporation, we can make Toronto the greenest city in North America and eliminate the need for the proposed East Toronto Transmission Line,” Mr. Gibbons noted. The OCAA’s report, which includes a map showing proposed routes for the East Toronto Transmission Line, can be downloaded from www:cleanairalliance.org. Low resolution pdf -30- For more information: Jack Gibbons, OCAA Chair 416-926-1907 ext. 240 |