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New gas plant in Ontario will drive up hydro bills, report says

Ontario’s new gas plant will push up the price of hydropower and make it more difficult to cut carbon emissions to net zero, according to an expert report released Wednesday.

Rather than relying on natural gas-fired power to meet its growing electricity demand, Ontario’s cheapest and most reliable option requires new wind and solar while maintaining a gas plant for backup. There is, says a report prepared by power system consultancy Power Advisory. Advised states and states in North America, including Ontario.

This conclusion contradicts that of Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO). IESO is increasing its use of natural gas power generation and last month signed a contract to build a new gas plant. The procurement comes after IESO concluded last year that shutting down natural gas generation would increase average monthly electricity bills statewide by $100 and cause rolling blackouts.

It’s a discussion of using gas or not using gas.

Competing visions for the future of Ontario’s power grid collide at a critical time when demand for electricity is projected to soar. People, governments and businesses are turning en masse to electricity to power cars, heating and heavy industry to reduce their carbon footprint and avoid the worst effects of climate change.

Brian Purcell, Vice President of Policy and Programs at the Atmospheric Fund, who commissioned the new report, said: “It has to be reliable, it has to be affordable, and I think more and more people agree that it has to be clean.

“Our message is that these priorities are indeed aligned. The most cost-effective pathways are also the most reliable and lowest carbon pathways.”

As the federal government finalizes clean energy standards that will mandate net zero coast-to-coast electricity by 2035, Ontario will need to start investing heavily in its electricity grid, the report said. I’m here. The storage you need to meet demand while reducing emissions. Reaching net zero means moving to a system that emits no greenhouse gases, offsetting any remaining emissions.

Business leaders and local governments have also called on the Ontario government to start building renewable energy. All construction was halted in 2018 when Prime Minister Doug Ford was first elected. Ford, who was against electric vehicle (EV) subsidies at the time, has since attracted mining and manufacturing companies to Ontario to ensure that the local economy benefits from his chain of EV supplies. gave away hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money.

These companies are seeking clean power to cut their own emissions and are becoming more cautious about relying on natural gas after prices skyrocketed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine this year. .

Travis Lusney, author of the report and Director of Power Systems at Power Advisory, said: “How far we go depends on many factors, even outside the power sector.”

With widespread demand for renewable energy from both households and businesses, and the large amount of capital wishing to invest in renewable energy, there is limited time for Ontario to harness these forces and meet its climate goals. Yes, Rasney said.

A Power Authority report shows three paths to net-zero grid by 2035, all of which reduce reliance on natural gas generation to less than 3%.

In the first scenario, an extensive maintenance program reduces demand while a nuclear retrofit keeps the Pickering plant operational and adds a new small reactor at Darlington. In the second scenario there are no new protections. Third, there are no new nuclei.

The report shows that a 97% emission-free grid can be achieved in all three scenarios by building new transmission lines, solar PV, wind farms and energy storage facilities. This will allow the grid to reduce its dependence on natural gas to a few days during peak demand days in midsummer.

The result is an 85% reduction in carbon emissions by 2035, at the expense of a 400% increase in electricity emissions, as currently projected by IESO.

In either scenario, hydropower prices would be lower than if the state implemented plans to build new gas plants, the report concludes. with a carbon tax. Meanwhile, prices for wind and solar power, which are already cheaper than natural gas, are expected to fall.

IESO will produce its own report in December, charting a path to a net-zero grid while keeping up with increased demand.

“The very question for IESO is, if not renewable energy, what do you think will really fill that void?” Rasney said. “I don’t think there are many things that can do this quickly other than renewable energy and conservation.”

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New gas plant in Ontario will drive up hydro bills, report says

Source link New gas plant in Ontario will drive up hydro bills, report says

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