Ontario Developers Proposing More Than 10,900 Megawatts to Replace Coal-Fired Power by 2014

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Provincial power generation utility Ontario Power Generation (Toronto) currently has 15 operational coal-fired units at four power stations that produce a total of 6,532 megawatts (MW). Ontario's Ministry of Energy has been working to replace that power with renewable energy or cleaner natural-gas-fired energy by 2014. The coal-fired power stations are:

• 4,000-MW Nanticoke Power Station in Nanticoke - eight units
• 1,572-MW Lambton Power Station in Courtright - four units
• 330-MW Thunder Bay Thermal Generating Station in Thunder Bay - two units
• 230-MW Atikokan Generating Station in Atikokan - one unit

Click on the image at right to see a breakdown of proposed power generation capacity in Ontario.

Developers have proposed 6,440 MW of simple- or combined-cycle generating units fired by natural gas or synthetic gas to replace 98% of the coal-fired generation. Renewable generation developers also are proposing to build approximately 4,500 MW of new generation utilizing, wind, hydroelectric, solar and waste that could replace more than 68% of the coal generation. The total planned capacity between gas and renewables could exceed 10,900 MW. The breakdown of the renewable energy projects is:

• Wind generation represents more than 81% of the proposed renewable generation with more than 3,670 MW.
• Hydroelectric generation represents 12.5% with 565 MW.
• Solar generation represents 2.9% with 139 MW.
• The remainder would be waste related (solid/sludge) with less than 1% for 15 MW.

Since most renewable energy projects (wind, solar and hydroelectric) are intermittent, the available capacity is usually expected to be 20% to 80% of nameplate. To replace the 6,532 MW of base load, it could require as much as 32,500 MW of renewable capacity.

Ontario Power Generation also has proposed to convert some or all of its coal-fired stations to utilize biomass as fuel, thereby making the current units into renewable energy plants, starting with Atikokan converted by 2012. Ontario Hydro has plans for beyond 2014. There are also plans to build up to nine nuclear base-load units to supply 10,650 MW beginning in 2016 through 2030 that could replace some of the base-load coal and nuclear units that are ready to retire.

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