Green power might halt hydro line

March 19, 2009
Town Crier
Katia Caporiccio
 

Green power might halt hydro line

Energy and Infrastructure Minister George Smitherman says a proposed east-end high-voltage transmission line may not be necessary if more green energy can be generated in the city.

“Toronto uses 5,000 megawatts of power every day and we produce about 500 of them here,” he said. “If you don’t produce them here, you have to get more power shipped in.”

Smitherman’s Green Energy Plan supports increased energy conservation and the use of many smaller generators, including rooftop solar pannels, throughout the city rather than having power generated at a few massive plants.

“Toronto should produce more of the energy it needs,” he said. “There are a few different options.”

However, if enough electricity isn’t saved or generated under the Green Energy Plan, the $600-million high-voltage line may be required says Smitherman. It would carry up to 700 megawatts of power into the city a day.

Leaked by the Ontario Clean Air Alliance in 2007, the proposal upset some area residents, who were concerned the high-voltage lines that may, in part, run through South Riverdale and Leslieville to the Hearn transformer station, could cause health hazards.

“We shouldn’t be exposing people to large, powerful electromagnetic fields running through our neighbourhoods,” said Toronto-Danforth MPP Peter Tabuns. “Why would you want to expose people to something that could cause them harm?”

It’s too early to say if a transmission line will be built at all, says Bing Young of the Ontario Power Authority.

“We’re in the middle of doing a study with Toronto Hydro about small-scale generation,” he said, adding that it could be five or six years before a shovel even hits the ground. “The details just aren’t there yet.”