Editor,
Have you seen the Shingles add on TV “Shingles Does Not Care”?
All Ontario Hydro ratepayers should be aware that more pain lies ahead with an energy proposal that no longer is wanted or needed. Trans Canada Energy’s Pumped Storage Proposal for the Municipality of Meaford that will cost Ontarians BILLIONS of dollars and by the time it is completed it will be useless. But: TCE Doesn’t Care: They must win at all costs!
TCE Does Not Care:
Even though the IESO has twice rejected this project as no value to Ontario taxpayers, yet TCE keeps moving ahead. Why?
TCE Does Not Care!
The environmental consequences to endangered species and the invasion of our protected Niagara Escarpment is next to criminal yet:
TCE Does Not Care!
The infrastructure to support the PSP: This is a massive undertaking! It requires new high-power power lines to be constructed from the Barrie transfer station to Wasaga Beach and then TUNNELLED under Georgian Bay to the PSP site! This entire project will take 7-12 years that will have devastating damage to the Municipality of Meaford and Georgian Bay area. There will be construction and vehicle dirt, dust and noise, diesel emissions and CO2 from roughly hundreds of thousand of loaded trucks on our roads causing traffic obstruction never seen in Grey Bruce or Simcoe counties. But:
TCE Does Not Care!
The Pumped Storage System will be 67% efficient meaning that DAILY the system will waste 1/3 of the energy it produces. Put another way it will cost Ontarians about 1450MW of power to produce 1000MW of useable energy storage. Charged to Ontario Hydro customers: this is a massive amount of wasted energy: enough to power 38,000 plus homes! WASTED! Most of which is in the form of heat that is sent back into the waters of Georgian Bay: are we not worried about the rising water temperatures in the Great Lakes? However:
TCE Does Not Care!
Back in 2016 the concept of Pumped Storage was a viable option: Pumped Storage Systems are used worldwide: just not lately. Continual advancements in solar and wind-generated systems together with battery storage have changed the energy storage landscape. Today’s technologies with respect to battery storage operate at 90% plus efficiency: so much less waste! But:
TCE Does Not Care!
The break throughs in battery recycling technology continues. We have automobile EV’s usage growing throughout Ontario, Canada and the world. TCE claim to use “off peak” nighttime excess wasted electricity from the Grey Bruce Nuclear station to load their reservoir every 24 hours. However, as automobile EV usage expands over the next few years, there will be no excess off-peak energy available: EV owners generally charge their vehicles at night: off peak hours! That is the end to TCE’s claim to be “Green.” They are not! But:
TCE Does Not Care!
The PSP if completed cannot be expanded. It is basically an analogue system: Pumped Storage’s output is difficult to control. Battery storage on the other hand when integrated to current modern digitally operated systems can be easily expanded or reduced in size. Energy output levels can be controlled and/or be switched off with the flip of a switch. PSP’s nineteenth century technology is no longer viable. But:
TCE Does Not Care!
Will such energy storage be even necessary moving forward? This TCE project is obsolete before it is started, so how can a once reputable corporation keep advertising the unnecessary ”necessity” of building this project? Why?
TCE Just Does Not Care!
They hide behind public awareness: keep their propaganda local and away from the Ontario ratepayers. They pay off municipal government councils with “benefits” of supporting this project. Now they are collaborating with Indigenous peoples and are having them become partners! Peoples we have trusted to protect our lands from corporate schemes and abuse from the past are now becoming partners with corporations that have one thing in mind: PROFITS! Where and why would our original settlers of these lands buy into this project: especially NOW?
TCE Just Does Not Care!
The Township of Blue Mountains’ (TBM) oath to protect the local waters will be negated if PSP is allowed to proceed. Councillor Paula Hope was silenced by council in her bid to not support the TCE PSP. TBM Councillors have taken an oath: Paula with councillors June Porter and Alex Maxwell of The Blue Mountains tried to provide a political alternative to save our waters from corporate greed. How could a simple motion to not support TCE’s project harm Grey Bruce residents? A vote to protect Grey Bruce waters makes sense: it protects the lands from abuse going forward. But:
TCE Does Not care!
This Pumped Storage Project is a massive undertaking with just too many negative consequences for Ontario and Canada. TCE however stands to make Billions of dollars over their 50-year unsolicited contract with our Provincial Governments. This now useless project will be paid by Ontario (and Canadian?) taxpayers. It is truly a corporate dream project: Pre-construction and construction costs covered by Hydro customers and Ontario taxpayers! Then the profits all go to TCE and their shareholders! A very well-hidden opportunity for a corporation! Here For Sure:
TCE Does Care!
As this project moves along through our Ontario Energy Minister’s office (Minister Stephen Lecce), the minister will likely force approval from the IESO. Actions by the past Minister of Energy Todd Smith prove this to be correct. Corrupt to say the least but it is our Doug Ford government we are dealing with! I can only wish that our “Press” ( Meaford’s Independent Newspaper and our 99.3 Radio station) can seek out the truth: the whole truth and ALL the facts surrounding this ill-advised project. Alert Ontario (and Canadian) taxpayers to what is really going on!
It is time to make TCE care!
Pat Maloney, Meaford
