Ontario Continues Curtailment of Coal

The Canadian province of Ontario has announced that it will shut down 17 of its 19 coal-powered energy plants by then end of the year and will eliminate using coal as a source of electricity production by 2014. Since 2003, Ontario has cut its use of coal by nearly 90 per cent. According to a press release from the office of Ontatrio Premier Dalton McGuinty, the closures are a result of Ontario's strong conservation efforts, smarter electricity distribution technology and a diverse supply of cleaner energy. The government estimates that shutting down the last coal plants in Southern Ontario will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save the province $95 million. Along with the province's move away from coal has been a corresponding  increase in wind energy development, which has grown from 400 MW in 2006 to over 2 Gw today, according to the Canadian Wind Energy Association. Read more