Plans for more green energy cancelled by Ontario

The media quoting Energy Minister Glenn Thibeault as saying that this move would save up to $3.8 billion of the costs projected in the 2013 long-term energy plan, and would keep about $2.45 a month from being added to hydro bills for homeowners and small businesses.

Thibeault had been given a mandate by the premier to find suitable measures to decrease the rising prices of electricity rates.

During investigations, he realized that Ontario had a strong supply of clean power, media reported.

This fact had been determined by The Independent Electricity System Operator’s planning outlook.

Thibeault is of the opinion this power is not needed at the present time.

Progressive Conservatives and Opposition Leader Patrick Brown and Tories were also of the same opinion, adding that rising prices of electricity was a great burden on the businesses, said media reports.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath had attributed the rising hydro rates to the privatisation of parts of the electricity system by Liberals and previous Conservative governments.

On the other hand, hydro rates of both Quebec and Manitoba were about half of Ontario’s because they kept their electricity systems in public hands, added Horwath, reports said.

Previous Progressive Conservative government left Ontario’s electricity system in shambles, Liberals had to invest billions of dollars in new generation and transmission grid upgrades, and this had increased hydro rates, said reports.

According to reports, the government’s plan to take the eight per cent provincial portion of the HST off of electricity bills was countered by Tories and NDP with the statement that hydro ratepayers were getting a ten per cent reduction on hydro bills until last January.

The government had cancelled the debt retirement charge for household hydro bills and deferred construction of two new nuclear reactors at Darlington, which would lead to $15 billion savings, reports said.

According to media reports, Ontario had already signed long-term contracts for the next twenty years, for 18,000 megawatts of power from wind, solar bio-energy and energy-from-waste projects, and was not willing to back away from its green energy policies.

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)