Comments on the Ontario Power Supply Mix Report
The Ontario Power Authority’s Supply Mix Advice Report recommended a particular mix of generation capacity and the contributions of each source to meeting electricity production requirements by 2025.
OPA invited comments on the supply mix report.
March 10, 2006 - Comments on the Ontario Power Authority Supply Mix Advice Report (EBR# PO05E0001)
Addendum to the above comments:
The Electricty Supply/Demand Gap and the Role of Efficiency and Renewables in Ontario.
A Green Power Vision and Strategy for Canada
February 28/2006
Energy Probe responds to the Ontario Power Authority Supply Mix Advice report with four self-contained essays:
Dispelling the Seven Myths: Setting up Ontario's Next Blackout
The Ontario Power Authority (OPA) Supply Mix Advice Report is based on seven myths, some explicit and some implicit. These myths are generally accepted as true by decisionmaking elites in the power sector in Ontario but are actually crippling the Ontario government's capacity to deal effectively with the province's deepening power crisis. Until these myths are identified and dispelled, Ontario is proceeding towards a new dark age. Effective, efficient, and durable solutions to Ontario's power problems depend on moving policy discussions beyond these seven myths into the realm of reality.
www.energyprobe.org/energyprobe/reports/Sevenmyths.pdf
Nuclear Power: Still a "Promising" Industry
Following the "go nuclear" program will likely do much more than waste money – it may very likely bring our electrical system down to third-world reliability standards. A 7-year total shutdown of 8 reactors, followed by a blackout where the operational nuclear units prolonged the outage instead of shortening it, proved that nuclear reliance is a poor strategy to achieve reliability.
www.energyprobe.org/energyprobe/reports/NuclearPowerisPromising.pdf
Practicalities of Renewable Power Supply
Renewable energy has a great future and may provide a significant source of future power generation in Ontario and around the world. However, the public should have realistic expectations with respect to renewable energy's potential contribution in the near future. Many of the recommendations and conclusions in the Ontario Power Authority's Supply Mix report report related to renewable energy appear to be impractical.
www.energyprobe.org/energyprobe/reports/PracticalitiesofRenewablePowerSupply.pdf
False Certainty in Planning Demand
The Ontario Power Authority's forecast of electricity demand shows how unwarranted its confidence in its own planning is.
www.energyprobe.org/energyprobe/reports/FalseCertaintyinPlanningDemand.pdf
Energy Probe's cover letter to the Office of Energy Supply and Competition
Comments from Energy Probe regarding the Ontario Power Authority Supply Mix Advice Report.
www.energyprobe.org/energyprobe/reports/CoverletterforEPsubmission.pdf
The Ontario Power Authority Supply Mix Report: A Review and Response
Authors: Winfield, Mark; Peters, Roger; Horne, Matt
Date: Feb 2006
Format: PDF, 18 pgs
This document reviews the Supply Mix Advice Report released by the Ontario Power Authority in December 2005. The Power Authority recommended investments of up $83 billlion in new electricity supply in Ontario. The Pembina Institute's submission challenges many of the assumptions underlying the OPA's recommendations. The OPA overestimates Ontario’s likely rate of electricity load growth from 2005 to 2025; •The OPA underestimates the potential for electricity efficiency improvements to reduce demand for electricity; •The OPA underestimates Ontario’s renewable energy supply potential; •The OPA underestimates the potential for cogeneration (combined heat and power plants) to assist in meeting electricity needs; •The OPA overestimates the cost and supply risks associated with the use of natural gas for electricity generation; •The OPA underestimates the environmental and economic costs and risks of nuclear power. •The overall methodology for assessing the environmental performance of supply options is fundamentally flawed, and the underlying analysis contains significant gaps. The submission recommends that the future direction of the province's approach to electricity supply be the subject of a commission of inquiry or reviewed under Ontario's Environmental Assessment Act. A "no regrets" strategy of maximizing the development of renewable energy sources and the energy efficiency and productivity of Ontario's economy should be pursued in the meantime.
February 28, 2006
Back to the Drawing Board, Sierra Club of Canada’s Response to the Ontario Power Authority’s Supply Mix Advice Report
Ontario Clean Air Alliance (OCAA) analysis finds that Ontario Power Authority Supply Mix Advice Report is deeply flawed -- underestimates costs of nuclear and undervalues alternatives.
Comments Regarding the Ontario Power Authority's Supply Mix Advice Report
This brief paper written by Suzuki Foundation policy analyst Jose Etcheverry looks at the Ontario Power Authority's advice on the province's electricity future. The Suzuki Foundation paper highlights the need for renewable energy, conservation and efficiency.
Posted by Arthur Caldicott on 13 Mar 2006