Canada's new generation

摘要

It is a topic with a vast array of contentious arguments, but the facts do not lie and, by just looking at the State of Ontario's future energy needs, the key issues become starkly apparent. Ontario's grid manager, the Independent Market Operator (IMO), has called for 15GW of electricity over the next 15 years, including replacement and refurbishment of existing plants. This represents roughly half of Ontario's generation capacity. It is a tough challenge and many feel the enthusiasm of the private sector to make investments has been dimmed after the government announced a price freeze in the state last November. It has short-circuited the investment incentive, which many believe will lead to worsening supply shortages. The blackout also gave rise to outbursts from many dramatically opposed to nuclear generation, but it is apparent from developments thus far that the cause of the blackouts had nothing to do with the existence of nuclear plants. And according to Steve Cannon, a spokesman for Bruce Power: "Within hours of the electricity grid tripping on 14 August, three of the four operating units at the Bruce B generating plant had regained power and were dispatching electricity to the Ontario grid at the request of the IMO."