By Paul Morden, from www.theobserver.ca The Observer
Eastern Power Limited is considering a second site in St. Clair Township for the 300-MW natural gas-fired electricity plant it’s relocating from Mississauga.
Along with land at Ontario Power Generation’s Lambton Generating Station identified when the project was announced recently by Ontario Energy Minister Chris Bentley, Toronto-based Eastern Power says it’s looking at a second location a short distance away on Oil Springs Line.
“I think the two candidate sites that we’re looking at are both good locations for the project,” said Hubert Vogt, vice-president of Eastern Power.
“Now we just have to go through the process of evaluating both of them and then picking one.”
The second site isn’t owned by Ontario Power Generation, he said.
Both are close to a natural gas pipeline and electrical transmission lines, have the right zoning and are a “sufficient distance” from neighbours, Vogt said.
St. Clair Township Mayor Steve Arnold said the company will have to go through the additional process of severing the land if it chooses the generating station site.
“I think they want to keep all their options open at this point,” Arnold said, adding the township is willing to work with the company at either location.
Eastern Power has scheduled public open houses for Aug. 16 and Sept. 12, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Courtright Community Hall as part of the provincial environmental approval process required for the $360-million project.
“It’s all coming together very quickly,” Vogt said.
The company will study potential air and noise emissions and ask residents at the open houses if there are other environmental impacts that should be considered, Vogt said.
“We don’t believe there will be a problem with any of the environmental impacts,” he said.
The environmental approval process is the same one two other natural gas-fired plants in St. Clair Township went through, Vogt said.
“Hopefully by now, people have a bit of a sense of what these natural gas-fired electricity plants are all about,” he said, adding it’s “always better when people have some experience.”
Residents in Mississauga lobbied against the plant there and it was cancelled by the the provincial government just days before the 2011 election.
The gas-fired plants already operating in St. Clair Township have been “good neighbours,” Arnold said.
“If things go really well, we could have all the approvals in place in about six months,” Vogt said. “Once construction begins, it will probably take 24 months or so.”
Some of the equipment from Mississauga will move to St. Clair, Vogt said. The plant’s main components will be a gas turbine, heat recovery boiler, a steam turbine, cooling tower and an electrical substation.
Arnold said company officials told him local materials and labour will be used.
“They were saying the right things to us,” he said.
The plant is expected to create 200 construction jobs and 30 or more permanent positions.
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