MORATORIUM ANSWER
BLOWING IN THE WIND?
NORTH BAY – PC Energy Critic and Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli has written Dalton McGuinty’s Energy Minister asking him to clearly state whether he plans to lift his moratorium on offshore wind energy projects or not.
It was recently announced that Siemens Canada had signed an agreement with Windstream Wolfe Island Shoals Inc. to supply up to 130 turbines for a massive industrial wind farm on eastern Lake Ontario. Windstream holds the offshore wind power Feed-In-Tariff (FIT) contract in Ontario awarded by the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) in May 2010. (Daily Commercial News, Jan. 5, 2012)
Now, four other firms have reportedly landed contracts to fabricate the steel, assemble the components and transport the giant towers across Lake Ontario for the project (Hamilton Spectator, Jan. 18, 2012)
However, last February, Ontario announced it wasn’t proceeding with proposed offshore wind project “while further scientific research is conducted.”
“Why are agreements being signed if there’s a moratorium in place? Do these companies know something the rest of us don’t?” asked Fedeli.
“The Minister need to explain this. If he and Dalton McGuinty plan to lift the moratorium, they need to tell Ontarians when and the reasons why they’re doing it,” added Fedeli.
“At a time when we’re forcing intermittent wind power onto the grid and the Auditor General tells us we’re selling surplus power at a loss to Quebec and the United States, this moratorium needs to continue.”
For more information, or to arrange an interview, contact
Clint Thomas
Executive Assistant
(705) 474-8340 or (416) 710-1752
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