The 3.3 metric tonnes of cargo, which will be moved to the industrial heartland of Toronto's waterfront and put together to make stacks for the natural gas fired plant, wasn't welcomed by all.
Stacks arrive for controversial new power plant
Updated: Mon May. 14 2007 2:19:16 PM
toronto.ctv.ca
A cargo ship carrying material for a controversial power plant under construction in Toronto's portlands arrived at the Port of Toronto Monday morning.
Some 127 pieces from Thailand, which will be used in the construction of the Portlands Energy Centre, were unloaded from the Beluga Constellation.
"The stacks are a major milestone in terms of our equipment," said Ted Gruetzner, a spokesperson for the future energy centre.
"We'll be erecting them fairly soon. It's a big day for us, having them come in."
The 3.3 metric tonnes of cargo, which will be moved to the industrial heartland of Toronto's waterfront and put together to make stacks for the natural gas-fired plant, wasn't welcomed by all.
"People in this community don't want this plant, they want green energy, conservation and efficiency, and they're going to continue to fight," said Peter Tabuns, Toronto-Danforth MPP and former Greenpeace director.
The project, launched in 2002 as a joint venture between Ontario Power Generation and TransCanada Energy, is being built to meet the city's growing energy needs.
The companies say the station is being built to cope with Toronto's energy deficit.
"Ontario's electricity forecasters warn that unless a power generating station is built within Toronto the city may face rolling power blackouts by 2008," the project's website explains.
But the advocacy group Stop the Plant warns that building a massive gas-fired generator isn't a good solution to the city's energy shortage.
They say that burning natural gas is one of the most expensive ways to produce energy, and that Canada's supply is running out.
They also claim that the $700 million project was approved by the Ontario government without a full environmental assessment.
"The debate about whether it should or shouldn't be here is somewhat moot, the fact is we are going forward," said Gruetzner.
"It will play a valuable role in the power supply for Toronto, and it is cleaner than some of the other forms of generation that are available."
The plant, slated to be up and running by next summer, will produce enough electricity to power 500,000 homes.
