Aurora
October 11, 2008 10:14 PM
Many options up in air as power authority presses ahead with PEAKER plans
Sean Pearce
The ongoing power struggle in Aurora may have just taken a very different turn.
Depending on where the Ontario Power Authority decides to put its proposed 350-megawatt peaker plant to serve northern York Region, Newmarket Hydro may build a transformer station similar to the Holland Junction in King on land it owns on Pedersen Drive in Aurora.
“The OPA had identified the possibility of needing another transformer station in the northern York Region area and we are holding the land until a decision on that is made,” Newmarket Hydro president Paul Ferguson said. “If the site doesn’t ultimately pan out as a suitable location for a transformer station, then we sell it. It’s as simple as that.”
The Holland Junction station, which is nearing completion, caused a stir in King and the surrounding area in 2006 as neighbours rallied against the plan. It will convert power from the main hydro transmission line and add power distribution capacity in the region.
The revelation Newmarket Hydro owns a piece of property in Aurora has Mayor Phyllis Morris’ attention, especially since the town has received telephone inquiries from private firms asking what would be required to build a power generation facility of about 30 MW in town.
Town planning and development director Marco Ramunno confirmed the inquiries, adding they have nothing to do with the plant the OPA seeks to build in northern York Region.
“There are other firms out there looking for possible sites ... and it seems these aren’t part of the OPA’s plan, because they are much smaller in size,” he said.
So far, the inquiries have been just that, Mr. Ramunno said.
While Mrs. Morris suspects the inquiries and the Newmarket Hydro land in Aurora may be inter-related, the utility says that isn’t the case.
PowerStream spokesperson Eric Fagen said the utility is not aware of any private firm exploring the idea of building a 30-MW generator in Aurora.
The same was the case with Hydro One and Ontario Power Generation, according to OPG spokesperson Ted Gruetzner.
“I wouldn’t even want to guess who would be making those calls; I couldn’t imagine,” Mr. Gruetzner said.
The calls might be in regard to the power association’s need for new high efficiency combined heat and power (CHP) facilities, an OPA spokesperson said.
And it seems Aurora is alone when it comes to the inquiries. Representatives from King, Newmarket and East Gwillimbury all said their planning departments haven’t received similar calls.
Mrs. Morris said she plans to keep an eye on the Pedersen Drive property to see what develops.
“I don’t have enough information to really comment one way or the other at this point,” she said.
However, the inquiries about the 30-MW power plant might be an early indication of a change in direction by the Energy Ministry, Mrs. Morris speculated, adding a 30-MW CHP facility would be a vast improvement over a 350-MW peaker plant, especially given Aurora’s energy consumption is only poised to grow by three megawatts in the foreseeable future.
She would also like to see more self-sustaining buildings as the town’s employment lands north of Wellington Street East are developed.