Environmentalists are again protesting the expansion of a natural gas power plant in King just northwest of Newmarket.
Capital Power plans to increase the operating capacity at the York Energy Centre by seven per cent in the coming years through equipment upgrades, increasing production capacity by 30 megawatts. This is to meet an expected increase in demand for power in the coming years, according to the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO).
However, the Ontario Clean Air Alliance is pushing back against the move and is calling on the government to initiate a comprehensive environmental assessment for the project.
The environmental advocacy organizations argue this is necessary to determine if greenhouse gases are consistent with the IESO’s planning outlook, to quantify public health impacts and to undertake a cost-benefit analysis of alternatives.
“While we agree that Ontario needs new electricity supply, neither the IESO nor Capital Power has provided credible evidence that new gas-fired generation capacity is the lowest-cost option to meet our peak power needs on our hottest summer days when our air conditioners are running full out,” alliance chair Jack Gibbons said in a letter to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks Aug. 13.
This is not the first time the plant’s expansion has garnered opposition. The alliance and Environmental Defence have pushed back on the plans since at least last year.
Capital Power has completed an environmental review report for the upgrades. Media relations and communications manager Katherine Perron said the report shows the centre would produce power more efficiently with upgrades, with an expected reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
But Gibbons argued that does not seem to line up with the IESO’s annual outlook. It forecasts that emissions from Ontario’s gas plants will increase by 78 to 89 per cent between 2025 and 2034. Gibbons also said that the York Energy Centre's emissions forecast was prepared by Capital Power and not independent experts.
But Perron noted that the IESO forecast is based on the entire province, not facility-specific to the York Energy Centre, which is located at 18781 Dufferin St.
“This project is part of an overall effort to help meet increasing local and provincial electricity demands by providing critical generation support, better enabling both a reliable supply of electricity and flexibility in support of intermittent renewable energy sources like wind and solar energy,” Perron said.
Perron also said the facility operates infrequently, typically for 150 hours or less per year. The centre is a peaking facility, only operating when there is a high peak demand for electricity.
Still, Gibbons said that rather than expand gas plants as the IESO has called for, battery storage and using Quebec waterpower could meet the province’s needs.
