A co-generation project that produces electricity from natural gas - rather than taking it from the grid- will make a consideration dent in energy costs at the Stratford General Hospital.
Huron-Perth Healthcare Alliance Vice-President of Fiscal Health Ken Haworth says they've tendered for the machinery and they're in the final stages of getting the contract ready.
Once the incentive funding from the local utility is approved, they will go to tender for construction of the unit.
Haworth points out with the incentive funding, the co-generation will save them 500 thousand to 600 thousand dollars a year, with a pay-back period on their investment of just under 4 years.
They also looked at co-generation for the hospitals in Clinton, Seaforth and St. Marys and concluded they are not comfortable with the payback period for those sites at this time.
The Stratford General Hospital could be off the grid by spring of 2017.
