On Tuesday Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) announced that it is awarding a contract to Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to increase the capacity of its Portlands gas plant on the Toronto waterfront by 50 megawatts.
The IESO admits its plan to build new gas-fired generation capacity in Toronto, Brampton, Halton Hills, Thorold, Windsor and St. Clair Township will help increase the greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution from Ontario’s power system by more than 450% by 2034.
To make matters even worse, the Portlands fossil gas power plant is fired up on hot summer days when local air quality is at its worse. Now the IESO wants to increase the plant’s use on these hot summer days instead of opting for cleaner and more cost-effective solutions like improving energy efficiency and shifting electricity demand from peak to off-peak periods, importing waterpower from Quebec (Quebec has a huge power surplus in the summer since its system peaks in the winter), getting serious about rooftop solar, and using EV batteries combined with bi-directional chargers to store power for peak periods.
Stunningly, the IESO’s decision to expand the capacity of the Portlands gas plant was announced just four days after Toronto City Council passed a motion opposing any new or expanded fossil gas power generation in the city. How this aligns with Ontario Energy Minister Todd Smith’s promise that any new gas plant capacity would require municipal approval is anyone’s guess.
Instead of ramping up gas-fired power production and pollution, the province needs a serious incentive to start slashing emissions and moving quickly toward a zero-carbon electricity system. That incentive could come from a strong set of federal Clean Electricity Regulations that close the door on the construction or expansion of new fossil gas power infrastructure immediately. It is vital that the long promised federal regulations, critical to achieving Canada’s climate targets, do not contain loopholes the province can use to drive through new and expanded gas plants.
Please contact Julie Dabrusin (M.P., Toronto-Danforth and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change), Steven Guilbeault (MP, Environment Minister) and your MP: tell them that we need Clean Electricity Regulations that will prohibit the building of new gas-fired electricity generation in Toronto and all of Ontario effective immediately.