Ontario’s coal closure follies continue

Last week the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) recommended coal generation be maintained until 2014. If the OPA directive is followed, this would mark the third time the McGuinty government has been forced to revise its coal policy – a policy that I’ve considered hare-brained from the get-go.

In 2003, the McGuinty Liberals convinced anti-coal voters they would close all four of the province's coal-fired plants by 2007. Later, the government pushed the time frame back to 2009. The recent OPA report pushes that date back another six years.

Last week, the Clean and Affordable Energy (CAE) Alliance came to Queens Park to set the record straight on much of the misinformation of recent years.

Representatives from both the Lambton and Haldimand-Norfolk arms of the CAE Alliance pointed out the folly of shutting down power generation at a time when supply is at a premium – a point only further underlined by the fact that Ontario is the only jurisdiction in the world going backwards rather than forwards on the coal generation front. Bottom line - the Alliance members presented a series of charts and researched information indicating that the McGuinty government decision to close coal-fired power plants is not based on science and economics, but on a misrepresentation of information.

To back up their assertions the CAE Alliance presented a list of reasons to maintain coal power:

  • Cost - the relatively inexpensive cost of coal compared to other fuel sources -natural gas is 2 to 3 times the cost, and it will require $30-$40 billion to maintain our current nuclear capacity.
  • Resources - recent National Energy Board estimates suggest that nearly two thirds of Canada’s discovered resources of natural gas have been consumed leaving only 7.5 years of proven reserves and another 5 years of possible reserves, while an OPA representative has stated that “we have the world’s largest reserves of coal in North America, and much of that is in Canada.”
  • Air Quality - in reality, the emissions from Ontario coal fired power plants contribute less than 7% to provincial air pollution concerns. With available, affordable emissions-reduction technology – technology which the former PC government began to implement with a $250 million investment into Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) units at Nanticoke and Lambton. Emissions could be reduced to 1%, which is comparable to the emissions profile of natural gas fired generation.

Following their presentation, the CAE representatives met with the Ministry of Environment. Those interested in obtaining more information can access the CAE website at www.caealliance.com.

With respect to climate change, carbon sequestration in local limestone could eliminate greenhouse emissions from coal-fired power plants. Instead of allowing the carbon dioxide to escape into the environment, it is proposed we could sequester – or catch – it, and store it underground or even under water. This process could help to keep power plants open, meet Kyoto benchmarks, and ensure a stable supply of electricity.

The CAE Alliance has done a great job in poking holes in the McGuinty anti-coal stance. The question remains, if a grassroots group can come to these conclusions, why isn’t Mr. McGuinty able to figure this out for himself?

It’s time to take the blinders off and ensure future decisions on our energy file are made based on science and economics rather than partisan misinformation.