Energy Minister responds to TBGS concerns

February 3, 2014, Thunder Bay, Ont. – Ontario’s Minister of
Energy has responded to a claim by a community group that the biomass plan for
the Thunder Bay Generating Station (TBGS) could falter if encountered with
severe winter weather conditions.

Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli responded to the claims made
by Common Voice Northwest, a community task force that analyzed the
effectiveness of the current biomass plan for TBGS. The group claimed that,
under a severe cold spell like the one encountered in the city this past
January, the proposed biomass supply for the plant would not be sufficient.

The response from Minister Chiarelli addressed the
suggestion that TBGS should receive its full five-year supply of 75,000 tonnes
of biomass up front in order to meet the potential demands of another cold
spell, to which the Minister suggested that, “no generation facility in the
world plans for the incredible volume of surplus fuel being proposed by the
Northwest taskforce. It is more practical to purchase the fuel annually, as
required. To be clear, we expect that in instances of extreme hot or cold
weather or droughts, northwestern supply will remain secure.”

The statement was published in the Thunder Bay
Chronicle/Journal on Saturday, February 1^st. To read the full
response, CLICK HERE.

Related stories 

Biomass supply issues raised over Thunder Bay Generating
Station

Ontario power plant to burn biomass