Issue - May, 2006

New wind farm in Ontario

Port Burwell, Ont.--A new wind farm opened in Port Burwell, Ont., on the north shore of Lake Erie in April. The 99-megawatt project is the third new wind farm to open in Ontario in the past three months. It will generate enough electricity to power more than 25,000 homes, according to the Ontario Ministry of Energy.
Total investment in the farm was $186 million. Earlier in April, the 40-megawatt Kingsbridge I project opened near Goderich; and a 67-megawatt farm came online near Shelburne. Three more wind farms are expected to be up and running by the end of the year, with enough capacity to power 80,000 homes.
"Ontario is rapidly becoming a leader in wind energy production in Canada," said Robert Horning, president of the Canadian Wind Energy Association.
The government aims to generate five per cent of its electricity capacity through renewable sources by 2007, and 10 per cent by 2010.
But it has come under fire from business and union groups for plans to close all Ontario coal plants over the next several years. Union representatives are advocating clean-coal technology, and business leaders predict dire energy shortages if the coal plants are mothballed.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has since extended the deadline for coal plant closures, opting for a less abrupt phase-out. Earlier this year he also came out in favour of nuclear power.