Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Haldimand "Haldimand County Council supports Natural Gas Plant in Nanticoke"

The mayors of Mississauga, Oakville and Haldimand County have joined forces to lobby the Liberal government to support a plan to build a natural gas power plant in rural Haldimand instead of a controversial scheme to establish one in Oakville.

Haldimand council supports a plan by Competitive Power Ventures (CPV) to build a plant beside the Nanticoke Generating Station, which is slated to close in 2014, causing jobs and tax revenue losses.

Oakville and Mississauga, and many residents, are opposed to a plan by TransCanada Pipelines to build a $1.2 billion natural gas-fired generating plant near the Ford plant, which is within a three-kilometre radius of 11,000 homes and 16 schools.

Mayors Hazel McCallion, Rob Burton and Marie Trainer have signed two letters to Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Brad Duguid appealing for him to back the CPV plan for a 1,200-megawatt gas plant.

They believe it supports the minister's goal of maintaining the reliability of Ontario's energy supply when coal-fired plants are phased out.

They argue the plan by TransCanada Pipelines to establish a 940-megawatt plant in Oakville "steps from schools, home and parks ... makes no sense."

TransCanada was selected by the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) last September after OPA asked for proposals for the southwest Greater Toronto Area.

"Our residents and our technical experts have made it clear that constructing and operating an electric generating plant in Oakville or Mississauga is inappropriate," the mayors add. "We encourage and would fully support your government in directing the Ontario Power Authority to negotiate a contract with Competitive Power Venture."

The idea of having the gas plant established in Haldimand instead of Oakville is not new. Trainer spoke at a Mississauga rally before 1,000 people last year, telling the crowd her municipality would welcome the plant in Nanticoke to offset the loss of 600 jobs and $3 million in taxes.

The CPV proposal would employ 35, but the Mississaugas of the New Credit -- which endorsed the scheme in March -- say it will create 600 local construction jobs over a three-year period.

Duguid's spokesperson Amy Tang said the minister welcomed views from "our municipal partners" and said the ministry continued to be in a "listening mode." She was doubtful, however, the appeal will have any impact.

"The process was long and the decision has been made, pretty much," Tang said.

Trainer earlier this month hosted McCallion and took her on a tour of the CPV's proposed site for its gas plant and the hydro line corridor. Trainer also met May 14 with the clean air subcommittee of Miranet, Mississauga's city-wide ratepayers group, and took them on a tour.

"We've already said we'd take it here," said Trainer. "Everything is there. It's just amazing they wouldn't take advantage of this."

dnolan@thespec.com

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/773789

9 comments:

  1. Better yet, convert the OPG facility to natural gas and save the jobs and our taxpayer's investment. Way to go Haldimand County Council, you're thinking about our people and their livelihoods.........their children. Make perfect sense to me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. To Anonymous who posted:

    Anonymous said...
    Better yet, convert the OPG facility to natural gas and save the jobs and our taxpayer's investment. Way to go Haldimand County Council, you're thinking about our people and their livelihoods.........their children. Make perfect sense to me.

    May 27, 2010 7:16 PM
    --------------------------

    Why not just utilize the resources and technology available with scrubbers to keep the exising facility functioning?? Why retrofit the whole operation that was supposed to be shut down years ago under the McGuinty government yet it is still operational for a few more years before that deadline gets extended again?

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  3. Land-claims deal first

    Brenda Gray
    The Hamilton Spectator
    Hamilton
    (Jun 1, 2010)
    Re: 'Power to the people' (Letters, May 29)

    Before Ontario puts new money into generating hydro in Nanticoke, the native land claims issues need to be settled.

    I doubt the residents of Mississauga and Oakville would be as quiet about being without electricity as the people of Hagersville and Simcoe were when protesters set fire to a Caledonia transfer station, leaving parts of Haldimand-Norfolk in the dark for days.

    The threat by Six Nations of a toll road next year on Highway 6 is still outstanding. What would they charge to let Hydro finish building those new towers that lay scattered around Caledonia so the power could get to Peel and Halton regions? What protection money to keep them unvandalized?

    As much as I would like to see more jobs at Nanticoke, maybe the other mayors need to reconsider their support of Haldimand County Mayor Marie Trainer's proposal.

    http://www.thespec.com/Opinions/LettertotheEditor/article/779381

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  4. Power to the people

    Karen Koury
    The Hamilton Spectator
    Oakville
    (May 29, 2010)
    Re: Power plant

    Let me get this straight: three large communities bring a simple, plausible solution to the table for our politicians to consider.

    Haldimand wants a power plant to replace its coal-fired plant. Oakville and Mississagua suffer from an already overtaxed airshed. Energy Minister Brad Duguid and his cronies can't seem to see their way clear to a cheaper, easier, safer and healthier solution for taxpayers.

    How quickly fallen brother and Hamiltonian Roy Rushton, killed when a gas-fired energy plant exploded, is forgotten by our elected officials. I can't wait for the next election.

    http://www.thespec.com/article/778020

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  5. it should be noted that Mayor Marie Trainer is a bastian of political glibness. She's wonderful when it comes down to providing 'sound bites' for media to run with. However, she's not far off of trying to find something new to hang her hat on either.

    This is an election year after all and she has absolutely NOTHING to lay claim to this time around except for her continued anti-native platform in Caledonia that supports but a few people.

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  6. The reason the OPA didn't put the plant in Nanticoke was because of construction costs and because of operating costs (not to mention we would only get 25 full time jobs according to TransCanada). We don't have the natural gas pipeline so we would be looking at 117 million just to bring it out here. There would be the added delivery cost for fuel and the loss of power power sending the power back down to the city. We would need to produce 1000Mwh compared to 900Mwh if it were located in Oakville (not including the delivery of the natural gas). Their plan to create microstations instead of massive power plants does make sense; they also require green energy initiatives in conjunction. For our friends working in the coal plant - it is unacceptable that you are in limbo. Gas is a compression not a steam turbine so I am sure the jobs wouldn't transfer easily, much like the previously proposed Nuclear Plant.

    Biomass is going to be the only thing that saves the plant. I think we have to look past the money the government spent on high tensile power lines - it is far easier to save a Kwh than to generate one and for the odd time I think they have the situation right (Oakville not Nanticoke).

    As for the comment about the first nation groups knocking out power in Mississauga/Oakville - It wouldn't work number 1, and number 2 why think the worst of your brothers who live next door and come to town to patronize shops. Of course there may be a few trouble makers as their are anywhere. If you want to blame someone blame the federal and provincial government for not doing enough to resolve their land claims or at least keep an open dialogue.

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  7. Ryan, what are you proposing to do about the jobs lost and a huge taxpayer in the County? I haven't heard anything from your blog.

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