Save power, mayor urges
Conservation key as electricity shortage looms, Miller says
Toronto core at risk of blackouts by 2008, grid agency warns
Jan. 30, 2006. 01:00 AM
JOHN SPEARS
CITY HALL BUREAU
thestar.com
Conservation is the key to solving a looming shortage of electricity in downtown Toronto, says Mayor David Miller.
Miller was responding to warnings from the agency that operates Ontario's power grid that the downtown core faces the risk of rolling blackouts as early as the summer of 2008.
Toronto generates no power inside its borders, and the transmission lines carrying electricity into the city run at capacity on days of high demand.
The Independent Electricity System Operator says Toronto needs 250 megawatts of added power by 2008, and 500 megawatts by 2010. Each of the four units at the Pickering A nuclear station generates 516 megawatts; on a hot day Ontario uses about 25,000 megawatts of power at the peak period.
The chair of the Toronto Board of Trade's electricity task force says businesses are becoming leery about locating in the city because of the power problem.
Speaking to reporters, Miller said building generators isn't necessarily the answer.
"Toronto has to have proper power, but we have to first look at conservation," Miller said.
"You go to Europe and go to a hotel, when you turn the hall light on and walk down, it goes off automatically. There's an enormous range of things we could do to improve our conservation. Whatever the province does, there has to be serious funding and consideration given to conservation measures."
Portlands Energy Centre, a partnership of Ontario Power Generation Inc. and TransCanada Corp., has proposed building a 550-megawatt plant fired by natural gas near the site of the mothballed Hearn generating station.
Miller said city council will only support the project if several conditions are met. It must be a cogeneration plant, he said — one that produces steam for industrial or heating purposes in addition to generating power.
Portlands spokesman Dave Abbott said in an interview it has proposed a cogeneration plant, but couldn't find a buyer for the excess steam.
Miller said city council also wants a commitment for conservation spending to accompany any new generating station, and it wants the new plant built inside the old Hearn station, leaving more space for waterfront development.
Abbott said the Portlands plan is to put its plant beside the Hearn. The partnership is still interested, he said, and "there are a lot of discussions going on without us at the table." He wouldn't elaborate.
The minister of energy can direct the Ontario Power Authority to negotiate an agreement with a generating company to supply power. |
