For immediate release:

January 15, 2004

Coal-fire electricity required to meet looming energy shortfall: Barrett 

Energy supply report underlines need to keep the coal-fires burning

Queen’s Park -Haldimand-Norfolk-Brant MPP Toby Barrett is welcoming a report from the Ontario Electricity Conservation and Supply Task Force as sobering information that the government must consider before moving ahead with any coal-fire closure plans.

The report titled, Tough Choices: Addressing Ontario’s Power Needs, indicates that, “Ontario faces a looming electricity supply shortfall” and that, “to avoid major supply risks, coal plants may need to be kept in operation.”

“This report is a definite warning to the Liberal government against any short-sighted plans to close down coal-fire generators like OPG Nanticoke,” said Barrett. “Limited gas reserves and a complete lack of new supply incentives mean that our coal-fire plants are more essential then ever.”

In the report’s recommendations, the Task Force indicates that, “the Government should maintain existing coal-fired generation units as required”, adding that “the Government should quickly develop generation, transmission and conservation alternatives including clean coal technologies.”

Despite the report’s findings, Energy Minister Dwight Duncan reiterated the Liberal commitment to meet their coal-fire phase-out target of 2007.

“It concerns me that the Government seems to be tossing aside the Task Force’s findings in a bull-headed attempt to keep at least one of their promises – a promise that will leave Ontario short of energy supply and our area short of jobs,” Barrett asserted. “I call on the Minister to heed this warning and investigate the benefits of cleaner coal technologies – as our previous Government did with the development of Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) units dropping Nitrous Oxide emissions to their lowest levels ever at Nanticoke and Lambton.”

 In fact, according to a recent report from the Nanticoke Environmental Committee, the cleaner coal technologies and other emission reduction efforts in the Nanticoke Industrial Area have dropped sulphur dioxide levels by 60% and nitrogen dioxide levels by 50% since 1984.

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