Ontario Power Generation (a.k.a., Atura Power) is offering the Town of Greater Napanee a $4.8 million inducement to support its proposal to build a new 450-megawatt (MW) gas plant.
OPG should not be using public money to attempt to sway local officials to support a dirty gas plant that will lead to more asthma attacks in Napanee, more climate damage everywhere and higher electricity bills for Ontario’s electricity consumers.
Fortunately, Ontario has much cleaner and lower cost options to power its air conditioners on hot summer days. For example, according to the Royal Bank, Ontario can avoid the need for NEW gas plants and save $500 million per year by investing in technologies to increase our energy efficiency and shift demand from peak to off-peak periods.
The Greater Napanee Town Council will be voting on OPG’s proposal on Tuesday, November 14 at 7 p.m. – see the agenda here and watch it livestreamed here.
Jack Gibbons, Chair of the OCAA, will be making a deputation to Town Council. View his PPT presentation here.
The cities of Kingston, Thorold and Toronto have passed resolutions opposing new gas plants in their communities. Hopefully, Greater Napanee will do so too.
Please contact Energy Minister Smith and your MPP and tell them that you don’t want OPG to use public money to influence municipalities to support the building of dirty gas plants in their communities. Please remind them that we have cleaner and lower cost options to power our air conditioners on hot summer days (e.g., energy efficiency and demand management, Quebec waterpower, wind and solar, and energy storage).