Energy Task Force and City Officials meet with Minister of Energy
by Scott A. Sumner
Leaders and experts from the City of Thunder Bay, Northwestern Ontario Municipal League (NOMA) and Fort William First Nation met today with the Honourable Chris Bentley, Minister of Energy and officials from Ontario Power Authority (OPA) to present and discuss the comprehensive energy needs of the region.
“It’s encouraging that Minister Bentley took time out of his busy schedule to attend this meeting. The Energy Task Force and the OPA had a very engaging session and have identified the areas where we are on the same page and where we differ,” said Mayor Hobbs.
“We were under the impression that a resolve would not happen today and that much more dialogue has to take place on a regular basis, and we intend to do that.”
Members of the Energy Task Force presented an overview of the implications of the current and future supply of energy requirements, the historical and projected load analysis and comparisons of the numbers that OPA is supplying compared to the task force.
“The mining companies that are looking at Northwestern Ontario need certainty in our energy for them to invest here and produce their products,” said Councillor Iain Angus, Co-Chair of the Energy Task Force.
“From our perspective we want to make sure that we have the power we need when we need it, and the closure of the Thunder Bay Generating Station will create a gap.”
The group’s requests included retaining the Thunder Bay Generating Station (TBGS), immediately converting it to natural gas and operate the facility to full capacity. They also want to develop supply plans to meet several future deadlines, develop contingency plans for the full development of the Ring of Fire and develop and implement transmission links to key communities in the region.
Mayor Keith Hobbs, City of Thunder Bay
“ I want to thank the Minister of Energy for coming to Thunder Bay. We had some very engaging talks with the Energy Task force and OPA today as well as with Minister Gravelle and will work together and find some common ground. There are similarities when we talk but we have different opinions on what the mining industry is going to need and we need to sort that out. You have to be happy when you meet face to face. The government is engaged, OPA is engaged as well as the task force. I am a half glass full guy and will remain positive. My former career was evidence based and we need to produce the evidence to justify the action.”
Chris Bentley, Minister of Energy.
“ There has been excellent work done by the Energy Task Force with a lot of very detailed work. Our commitment from the beginning has been to make sure that the Northwest including Thunder Bay has the energy it needs today as well as into the future. We have been encouraged to take a regional approach to the energy needs here. Infrastructure takes many years and a lot of planning to get right and the more information we get the better. This meeting was crucial to gaining the information needed and in the coming weeks more discussion will take place to make sure the Northwest achieves it’s full economic potential. I am looking forward to the next steps. I was determined not to come in with a conclusion until I hear from the people in the Northwest. After all the information is together we will produce a report. The OPA has done lots of study and analysis for example on the First Nations energy needs, the Musselwhite Mine and generation station. The success of the Northwest is to gain the best information. It is important to get the experts together and understand what the power requirement may be.”
Michael Gravelle, Minister of Forestry
“ This was the meeting that needed to take place. Everyone that spoke today stated the need to get the OPA and Energy Task Force together to listen to each other. From my perspective it is the commitment our government made and the commitment of the OPA as well, to meet the energy needs that are going to be in the Northwest, particulary with the exciting economic opportunities coming forward. It was a wide ranging and very honest discussion and I am pleased this was a worthwhile meeting that will lead to more complex discussions where we will work towards to the same shared objectives.”
Iain Angus, Energy Task Force
“ We got more agreement than not. The biggest difference in on the load side. Through the work of John Mason of the CEDC, we have identified the mines coming on stream until 2020 and identified the load requirements. We are confident those mines will come on stream when they say they will but the OPA has a more conservative view of that, so part of the challenge is to give the OPA the confidence that the mines will come on stream. We can’t build a mine on might, we have to build it on facts and numbers.”
