A group called Save Georgian Bay has delivered a petition to MP Alex Ruff in regards to the proposed pumped storage plant on the shoreline to generate electricity.
TC Energy wants to build the $4.3 billion pumped storage plant (PSP) on the shore of Georgian Bay on Department of Defence (DND) land in Meaford.
The petition is 239 pages long and has 3395 signatures from Meaford, Thornbury, Collingwood, Owen Sound, Wasaga Beach, and Barrie
The groups says the proposed open-loop PSP will pump water from the Georgian Bay at night to a 375-acre man-made reservoir in the Niagara Escarpment, and release it back into the bay during the day to generate electricity.
The group also claims the reservoir and its dam will be located directly above residential communities, while the plant will use 30% more energy than it generates when it pumps water to the upper reservoir.
“Every time the reservoir is filled, it will draw water from the bay plus everything living in that water. The 30% inefficiency of the PSP is also a huge waste of electricity that could otherwise meet the energy needs of a city the size of Barrie or 16 Meafords,” said Bruce Rodgers, Environmental Consultant.
Save Georgian Bay says alternative technologies are available that are 90% efficient and would not have a negative environmental impact on the Georgian Bay. Another design option for a PSP is a closed-loop plant, where a man-made lower reservoir is used instead of the Georgian Bay or open water. The point out the project is being marketed as a “green” initiative and TC Energy claims the PSP will reduce CO2 emissions by 490,000 tonnes per year.
“The claim is misleading. If TC Energy built a natural gas plant, it would emit 500,000 tonnes per year of CO2. But if they build a PSP instead, it won’t emit as much CO2. Therefore, by building a PSP, TC Energy claims credit for a reduction in CO2 emissions simply because they decided not to build a natural gas plant,” adds Rodgers.
“I am concerned about the project because it will build a dam directly above residents heads. It is also being built on land that was expropriated by the DND during WWII for national defence purposes. To go ahead now and lease the land to a corporation for private gain is unethical,” said Joseph Leung, Petition Organizer.
“It is our hope that Alex Ruff will bring the petition to Ottawa and the DND at the federal level, and aid in our efforts to stop this environmentally harmful and unnecessary project,” added Leung.
Save Georgian Bay is hoping to raise awareness about the project in the early planning days to encourage a meaningful discussion about its merits and issues between citizens and elected officials.
