Ministers talk green energy in Ottawa as Hydro bills rise

The brain trust was in Ottawa discussing how shifting away from coal is expensive - and lamenting the lack of a cap-and-trade program

Ministers talk green energy in Ottawa as Hydro bills rise | Metro:

Duguid and Bentley said the province’s Green Energy Act will end Ontario’s dependence on coal for electricity by 2014 and is bringing green technology investment to the province.

In response to tough questions from conference participants, they acknowledged problems the program has faced—including community opposition to nuclear and wind power, technical issues with intermittent power generation and the lack of a cap-and-trade program.

Duguid blamed the problems on Ontario being among the first jurisdictions to shift away from coal

Coal use in the first four months of 2012 is much the same as in the first 4 months of 2011 -in Ontario.

The latest US EIA data shows coal use in generation down about 20% (Jan-Feb), with prices flat.