Green energy projects will lead to job boom, Smitherman says

(By Patrick Dare, via The Ottawa Citizen)

Renewable energy projects can create 50,000 jobs in Ontario and help the province finally shut down its coal power plants, Energy and Infrastructure Minister George Smitherman told municipal leaders Wednesday.

Smitherman said energy and public infrastructure can be key parts of the economic recovery in the province. And he announced that the Ontario Power Authority will cover costs for municipalities when renewable energy projects create problems such as roads that have to be moved.

Smitherman, talking to reporters, said some residents oppose green energy projects in their backyards but most strongly support renewable power.

"No one wants more infrastructure of any kind, really, in their area if they can help it," said Smitherman.

Some wind turbine projects, especially, have generated strong local opposition.

"In every community you find people who are opposed," said Smitherman. "Some will express opposition. But support for green energy is very, very, very high."

Peter Hume, president of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, said some municipal council members are upset by provisions in the Green Energy Act that override local approvals for the projects. But he said others are not and Hume believes councils must respect the province's direction.

Delegates at the municipal association convention in Ottawa were told that the current recession has eased Ontario's power crunch.

Ken Kozlik, chief operating officer of the Independent Electricity System Operator, said that power consumption has fallen so dramatically at industrial plants that some power suppliers have had to pay the operator to continue pumping power into the grid.

Ontario's all-time high power use was 27,000 megawatts but this year fallen to as low as 10,700 megawatts, where the province's power consumption was in 1997.

Kozlik said this could lead to extreme price volatility in power prices. He said the answer will be programming appliances and electric cars in the future so that they consume power when demand and prices are low.

Kozlik also said that he expects wind power to grow from its current 1,080-megawatt share of power output to 5,000 megawatts. Wind power will help Ontario meet its goal of shutting coal plants by 2014.

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