For Immediate Release:

February 3, 2006

Coal Required for “Reliable” Power in Ontario

Back-off McGuinty coal closure deadline: IESO Report

Queen’s Park – After yet another provincial report calling for the government to back off the McGuinty coal-closure deadline, MPP Toby Barrett wonders if anyone is listening at Queen’s Park.

“Report after report has come out warning this province of the dire consequences should Mr. McGuinty continue blindly rushing towards his self imposed coal closure deadline,” Barrett said.  “This latest report from the IESO only further confirms what I’ve been saying all along- that without Nanticoke and other coal fired generators we will speed headlong into an energy crisis that will leave this province short of electricity and jobs!”

The Independent Electricity System Operator report states that the planned transition from coal fired generation is a challenging and complex task requiring the replacement of up to 6,500 MW of generating capacity in a short period of time and major restructuring of facilities across the provincial power system.  The report reinforces the need identified in the 10-Year Outlook released last year to make staffing, fuel and maintenance provisions to ensure the capability of units at the Lambton and Nanticoke stations to operate beyond the announced shut down dates to accommodate circumstances such as extreme weather, schedule delays, outages or reduced performance of existing or new facilities.

“This report re-emphasizes the importance of investing in clean coal technology,” claims Barrett.  “It reiterates the need to keep our coal plants up and running.  The Harris government’s $250 million investment into Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) units at Lambton and Nanticoke has already made a huge improvement in reducing nitric oxide emissions by 80 per cent on the units to which they are attached.”    

Barrett concluded that this report presents an opportunity for McGuinty to show leadership and take a step toward maintaining a reliable power supply for Ontario rather than putting it at risk.

-30-

For more information please contact
MPP Toby Barrett at: 519-428-0446, 416-325-8404 or 1-800-903-8629