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Ontario to boost power supply with natural-gas plants
Ontario’s government approved plans to build two natural-gas plants worth at least C$869 million ($702 million) to increase its power supply, which may face shortages as the province closes coal plants.
Calpine Corp. and Mitsui & Co. will build a 1,005-megawatt plant and St. Clair Power, a partnership between Invenergy LLC and Stark Investments, will build a 570-megawatt plant, the Energy Ministry said in a statement. Both will be near Sarnia, Ontario, and will replace the area’s coal-fired generator, which will close within two years.
A coal disaster
Ontario begins to phase out coal power on Saturday, starting with the closure of the Lakeview coal-fired generating station west of Toronto. Inefficient and heavily polluting following decades of neglect by its previous owner, Ontario Hydro, Lakeview’s retirement will allow people downwind of it to breathe easier.
Province taps into winds of opportunity
Ontario is late in harvesting the wind. With only 14 megawatts of wind-generated electricity in operation, Ontario lags well behind several Canadian provinces, as well as the United States and Germany. Continue reading
Ontario's McGuinty breaks vow, delays plant closing
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty pushed back plans to close the last of the province’s coal-fired power plants until 2009, breaking a campaign pledge that helped get him elected two years ago.
Keeping the Nanticoke plant running two years longer than promised is necessary to ensure the province doesn’t run out of power while it develops alternative energy sources, Energy Minister Dwight Duncan said today at a Toronto news conference.
"Maintaining reliability is the first principle of our plan," he said.
Hydro scare returns
Toronto: Ontario’s electricity manager issued an emergency appeal to the public last night to reduce power consumption as high temperatures and a reduced energy supply created the prospect of rotating blackouts.
Officials said the need to reduce power consumption was particularly acute in the Toronto area, and with the weather not expected to cool in the next few days, residents are being asked to turn off non-essential lights and use energy-consuming appliances such as air conditioners and dishwashers only in off-peak hours.
Heat melts record
Ontario sucked up record levels of electricity to beat the heat yesterday as striking Hydro One workers continued targeting generators that are running flat out to feed air conditioners.
Late yesterday afternoon, electricity consumption soared past the previous provincial record, surpassing Ontario’s home-grown supply and forcing power officials to import expensive electricity from neighbouring U.S. states and provinces.
Blackout fears loom
Toronto: Energy officials urged Ontarians to reduce demand for electricity from the record highs set yesterday, as the province imported costly U.S. power and rotating blackouts were required to ease the pressure on the energy grid.
"Any increase in demand could create shortfalls of electricity and require proactive actions such as emergency purchases from other jurisdictions or voltage reduction on the Ontario system," the Independent Electricity System Operator said in a statement last night.
Smart meters in apartments inspire conservation
A company from Almonte, just west of Ottawa, has developed a new smart meter that could help reduce Ontario’s power crunch. The device from Triacta Power Technologies enables owners of apartment buildings to charge each tenant for the exact amount of electricity used.
Ontario lifts energy alert
Toronto: The agency monitoring Ontario’s power system has lifted its advisory asking residents to drastically cut back their power usage, but Energy Minister Dwight Duncan warned Thursday there will be a few more summers of tight power supply.
A slight break in the sweltering heat combined with a return to service of two power generating units allowed the Independent Electricity System Operator to lift its plea for residents to turn up the air conditioner thermostat and wait until after 10 p.m. to use major appliances.
Ontarians face hydro shocker
The record-shattering heat wave in Ontario has sent energy costs soaring in the province, leaving consumers facing higher bills next spring as the government moves to cover a growing deficit.
As things stand, the cost of buying electricity on the open market exceeds what the government charges consumers to run their air conditioners and televisions.
That gap is widening as this summer’s sweltering heat and high humidy drive up consumption levels, making electricity even more expensive.
Energy Probe 