Authority's power plan flawed: spokesperson

Newmarket Era-Banner
January 28, 2008
Simone Joseph

The Ontario Power Authority’s plan to introduce a natural gas fire generation plant in northern York Region is flawed, says a spokesperson for the Ontario Clean Air Alliance.

“It is unbalanced, not cost-effective or environmentally responsible,” Jack Gibbons said.

The Ontario Clean Air Alliance is a coalition of health, environmental and consumer organizations as well as utilities, municipalities and individuals working to phase-out the province’s coal-fired power plants by 2010.

Its long-term goal is to ensure Ontario’s electricity needs are met through energy conservation, renewable energy and the use of natural gas.

It was determined demand for electricity in northern York Region oustripped planned capacity for the area.

York Region residents need to consider where their energy will come from, Ontario Power Authority spokesperson Tim Taylor said.

The authority has made progress on conservation, including improvements to the Armitage Transformer Station, being done by Hydro One. A new transformer station is required near Holland Junction to serve northern York Region, he added.

Hydro One will begin building the station and is expected to have it running by summer 2009.

Another part of the authority’s plan is to contract the building of a new natural gas-fired electricity generating facility in the area to be running by the end of 2011.

Its specific location is not yet known.

The authority is promoting a simple-cycle natural gas-fired generation plant 350 megawatts in size.

But this form of natural gas fire generation is inefficient, Mr. Gibbons argued.

“There is way too much emphasis on new supply and not enough on energy conservation,” he said.

Under the proposed plant, for every megawatt conserved, there are 13 megawatts of new supply, he said.

According to the type of plant the authority is suggesting, 36 per cent of gas would be turned into electricity, while 64 per cent would be wasted, or used to heat up the atmosphere, Mr. Gibbons said.

“They are proposing a 1950s style electricity.

“There is a profound change in technology. They have not caught up with the times,” Mr. Gibbons said.

The town should instead use natural gas that combines heat and power, which is 88 to 90-per-cent efficient, he said.