Ontario is shutting down two more coal-burning units at the Nanticoke Generating Station, the provincial government announced last week.
The move is part of the province’s initiative to replace all coal-fired generation with sustainable alternatives such as wind, solar, and bioenergy by 2014.
In a report outlining its third-quarter financial results, the Ontario Power Generation (OGP) company said it has put two units at the Nanticoke station on standby in October, and the units will be in safe shutdown mode on Dec. 31.
By the end of this year, four of the eight units at Nanticoke will be closed.
“We are reducing harmful emissions and building a modern, clean, reliable energy system that families and businesses know they can count on to keep their lights on,” Minister of Energy Chris Bentley said in a statement.
The OGP has a mandate to ensure that the 2011 emissions are two-thirds less than 2003 levels.
According to estimates, replacing dirty coal-fired generation will save $4.4 billion a year in health care, environmental, and financial costs.
The government says it has brought over 9,000 megawatts of “clean energy” online since 2003, enough power to feed cities the size of Ottawa and Toronto.
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